Raising Villains the Right Way Novel - Chapter 118

Chapter 118
With Heinkel’s dubious assistance, Alon managed to subdue Basiliora, though the precise method remained unclear to him. Following this, he began his magical tutelage under Heinkel.

The training lasted for five days. Whether this span seemed long or short, it was a period of immense growth for Alon.

Heinkel did not deal in simple words or phrases; her profound understanding of magic matured Alon’s own abilities, elevating him from a novice fourth-tier mage to a fully seasoned practitioner of the same level.

Furthermore, by addressing the issue of magical efficiency, Alon learned a slightly more effective way to channel his mana, allowing him to utilize spells he had previously considered beyond his reach.

Naturally, Alon was no prodigy who could perfectly apply new knowledge instantly, and integrating these lessons required time. Yet, even these minor teachings substantially reduced his mana consumption compared to his original methods, representing a major gain.

Above all, the most significant help he received was this.

“Huh-”

It materialized directly before his eyes.

*Woong-*

Alon witnessed the magic taking form. Or, more accurately, he saw a visualization of how the mana was arranged.

Like genetic DNA, the mana was configured in a spiral pattern that formed a pentagram.

Though it was not yet flawless, it was unmistakably what he had aimed for, and he felt a deep, internal smile of satisfaction. This was the very reason he had sought Heinkel’s instruction and the fruit of that effort.

‘I never anticipated I would be able to manifest it this quickly.’

The formation shattered into minute fragments the instant his concentration wavered. Even so, Alon let out a contented sigh. What he had crafted was one of the ‘traits’ that magicians could access within Psychedelia.

A trait (特性). In the game, once magicians attained the fourth tier, they could acquire unique traits for their magic using knowledge from the labyrinths, though the game limited these to roughly ten in number.

Despite this, Alon had managed to implement this ‘trait’ without ever setting foot in a labyrinth. It wasn’t due to any special innate talent. In truth, anyone who understood how to incorporate the overall shape, sequence, and positioning of mana into their spells could use it. Of course, unless someone discovered the trait by personally entering the labyrinth, Alon would remain the sole user of this yet-unknown trait.

……The labyrinth that granted this particular trait hadn’t even appeared at this point in time. It only emerged later, following a fracture caused by the descent of one of the sins.

‘With a bit more practice, I should be able to master it completely.’

He soon thought of a specific, unique trait that would be exceptionally useful to him in his current state, and this brought him satisfaction. Just then.

“Marquis.”

Alon shifted his attention to the sound of Evan’s voice.

“What is it?”

“Nothing urgent. The conference is almost over, and I was wondering what you intend to do next.”

“Hmm- How much time remains?”

“Approximately three days, I believe?” Evan answered.

Alon considered this for a moment.

……………He had heard he was permitted to stay for about a week after the conference concluded, but it now seemed pointless to continue his instruction.

Heinkel’s teachings had been an extraordinary gift for Alon. However, he could no longer continue learning from her. Or, more accurately, it would become futile to try, as the physical limitations known as the Mana Hole were beginning to render Heinkel’s advanced instruction akin to unripe persimmons—pleasing to the eye but ultimately unprofitable.

So……he had absorbed what he could, and now it might be time to focus on increasing his mana reserves a little more. Just as Alon was contemplating an artifact rumored to be near the central tower that could slightly boost one’s mana.

“Ah, that reminds me, Marquis. There’s some commotion outside.”

Evan abruptly changed the subject.

“A commotion? What’s happening?”

“Well, it’s not a single event, but rather a lot of ‘incidents’ occurring.”

“……So, what is the nature of these events?” Evan hesitated before continuing.

“Lately, across the entire Allied Kingdom, mountains have begun splitting open without warning, or natural massacres are taking place within the territories of the Marquisdom.”

“……In the mountains and the Marquisdom’s lands?”

“Yes, there have been more than eight such occurrences within a single week. In particular, Mount Temax, near the Kingdom of Rosario, has been completely transformed into a barren wasteland.”

“Any known cause?”

“The cause is still unknown. That’s just the rumor circulating.”

“Is there any common thread linking the locations where these incidents have happened?”

“From the reports I’ve heard, the sites are scattered sporadically.”

A quiet sense of alarm settled over them. Simultaneously, a doubt surfaced in Alon’s mind. If this were the emergence of an Outer God, it wouldn’t manifest in sporadic bursts across multiple locations, he thought, tilting his head in contemplation. But this doubt was fleeting.

‘Still, I should probably investigate this first.’

After assigning Evan a few tasks with the intention of taking action himself, “It seems I will have to depart soon.”

He decided it was time to leave the magic conference. That night, as was now his routine, Alon was alone, practicing the magic he had been taught. Heinkel, who was observing him, wore a peculiar expression. Initially, she had detested his very presence, but recently, Heinkel had grown quite intrigued by him. Partly because he was a diligent student, but more so because the magic he employed was so unusual.

Alon was using ‘primitive magic’ that had been nearly extinct even in Heinkel’s own era. Moreover, he wielded it with such natural ease that it inevitably sparked her curiosity. No, to be more precise, her curiosity was fixated on the specific ‘magic’ he was using.

‘I wish I could ask him to teach it to me, just once.’
Unfortunately, a formal ‘master and disciple’ relationship did not exist between her and Alon. Given her prideful nature, asking Alon to instruct her now would be profoundly difficult.

However, Heinkel’s thirst for magical knowledge easily overpowered her pride. As a magician known as the ‘Cup of the Origins,’ her curiosity was boundless. In fact, she had previously let a word slip to Alon a few days ago regarding ‘Phrases.’

The moment the term ‘Phrase’ left her lips, she had clamped her mouth shut, and the conversation had advanced no further.

It was unavoidable. The reason lay with the entity standing behind Alon. Whenever she attempted to broach the subject of ‘Phrases,’ she would instinctively look upward and find herself unable to ask. While instructing him, Heinkel had already deduced, to some extent, the nature of the unseen eyes that neither Alon nor his companions should have been aware of.

Alon himself was oblivious to the presence of the eyes observing him from behind. Or, it would have been strange if he had noticed.

After all, that entity was invisible to anyone who had not achieved a certain level of enlightenment, and one would require insight and power comparable to her own to even catch a glimpse of what was concealed behind the scenes.

Most critically, the eyes themselves seemed to actively avoid being detected by Alon whenever he practiced magic. Despite being a spirit, Heinkel felt a chill that made her non-corporeal form shudder. For some reason, the ‘eyes’ that shunned Alon’s recognition showed a distinct, albeit not total, reaction to the topic of Phrases.

Of course, she couldn’t state this with absolute certainty, but her survival instincts screamed a violent warning at her. Do not casually bring up that subject.

“……I believe I will take my leave for today.”

[Oh, very well. Until tomorrow.]

“Yes, my thanks, as always.”

She knew it was unwise to touch upon that topic. Yet, her curiosity was provoked more wildly with each passing day.

‘Is there not a suitable method?’

After Alon departed, an idea soon occurred to her.

‘Now that I think on it, the eyes do not react when he recites the Phrase……………. If I do not ask him directly, and if he were to offer the knowledge first, perhaps I could then listen?’

She was fully aware of how unlikely that scenario was. But by now, her mind was completely dominated by her inquisitiveness.

‘How can I get him to broach the subject first?’

She began to ponder deeply.

Suddenly, “You wretched old fool!!! I know you’re hiding in here, show yourself!!!”

A furious shout reverberated through the library, causing her to frown.

‘Who dares to be so reckless……?’

[……Hmm?]

A moment later, however, she identified the owner of the voice. Penia Crysinne. For Heinkel, who often wandered the central tower when boredom struck, Penia was a familiar figure, her name frequently mentioned among the magicians. Furthermore, there had been recent rumors connecting her to Marquis Palatio…

[Hmm? Wait a moment?]

It seemed a path was opening. Penia, if Penia truly had that sort of connection with Marquis Palatio…

A small scheme began to take shape in her mind.

***

Penia Crysinne was in a state of pure fury. This was because she had never had any intention of attending this magic conference in the first place. It was only recently that her magical supplies had begun arriving consistently, allowing her to finally resume the experiments that had been interrupted.

The sole reason she had come to the central tower was precisely because of…

“Damnable old coot-!!!!!!!!”

A rumor started by the master of the blue tower.

‘Wow- I had no idea you’d already exchanged greetings.’

‘So the vice-master of the tower is getting married; life is truly unpredictable.’

Penia gritted her teeth as she remembered the professors who had burst into her laboratory during a critical experiment and spouted such nonsense. The source of these rumors was none other than Celaime Mikardo, who typically foisted his duties onto her and wandered about without a care in the world. She could not let this stand. She had to punish that old fool immediately.

Penia had rushed to the conference and, finding him already in hiding, scoured every inch of the building, eventually arriving at the library. And it was here.

[Who is there?]

“………!?”

She encountered a spectral girl. Or more precisely, “The Cup of the Origins, Heinkel…?”

The Cup of the Origins, Heinkel.

[Hoo~ It is curious that you know my name.]

At the confirming voice, Penia was so startled she froze, her original purpose forgotten.

Penia had long been aware of one particular rumor concerning the central tower’s library, about ‘The Cup of the Origins, Heinkel.’ The story was simple: if you visited the library at night, Heinkel would appear and impart magical knowledge. However, almost no magician believed it, as it made no sense for Heinkel, who should have died centuries ago, to suddenly manifest in the library. Despite this, Penia had once visited the library at night after hearing the tale.

Because her childhood dream had been to become a great magician like Heinkel, it was natural for Penia to recognize her instantly. She had seen countless portraits and statues of Heinkel in books.

“State your name,” the figure prompted, the very idol from her childhood, and Penia, staring in a daze, jolted and replied, “Pe, Penia Crysinne…!” Her heart fluttered at encountering someone she had admired for so long.

However, [Penia Crysinne………… Ah, so you are the one rumored to have that particular relationship with Marquis Palatio?]

“Wh…?”

Hearing such strange words from the mouth of her idol, she could not help but furrow her brow involuntarily. Her tolerance for these rumors had been worn incredibly thin over the past few months of constant annoyance.

“That is a profound misunderstanding,” she reflexively attempted to correct.

[I have one condition for you. If you agree, I will personally instruct you in magic.]

“What?”

She fell silent at the unexpected proposal.

[Exactly as I have said. I require a favor related to Marquis Palatio. If you are as close to the Marquis as the rumors suggest, it should not be overly difficult. What is your answer?]

Despite the oddity of the statement, “You mean, you will teach me magic?”

[Yes.]

“The Cup of the Origins herself?”

[I do not repeat myself.]

She could not bring herself to refuse.

Memories flashed through her mind, all painfully connected to Marquis Palatio. Memories of brewing potions for him, of being abducted by pirates while traveling with him. Days filled with the stress induced by rumors involving the Marquis scrolled through her thoughts one after another.

Honestly, Penia wanted nothing more than to completely dispel the rumors about her and Marquis Palatio. Her feelings on this matter remained unchanged. Even the chance to be taught magic by the Cup of the Origins herself could not immediately outweigh the months of accumulated stress that had pushed her to her limits.

Therefore, instead of voicing her true thoughts, [Perhaps, was there some mistake in how these rumors were spread?]

She merely curled the corners of her mouth into a stiff, awkward smile. The stress that had gnawed at her very core, tormenting her to the point of making her want to pull her hair out for months, was still, ultimately, powerless against the overwhelming force of her magical curiosity.