Shake, shake.

Selbier awoke with a start, feeling the rhythmic vibrations. Strangely, her body felt warm, and she had a sense of stability.

She felt drowsy. It was the pleasant drowsiness after a good sleep. She had fallen into a deep sleep without dreaming and had woken up. It was incredibly satisfying, a sense of fulfillment rising from deep within her chest.

As she wriggled her body, she tightened her arms and legs around herself. There was a strangely pleasant smell, and it felt like the perfect hugging pillow. Had she bought something like this…?

She unconsciously let out a whimper.

“Ugh…”

Should she sleep a little longer? Just a tiny bit.

It was okay if finding Krabellin Render was delayed──.

“…?”

No, Selbier. You can’t be late.

Selbier suddenly lifted her head and began to assess the situation. She had lost consciousness, and she was being moved somewhere—was she being kidnapped?!

The disappearances occurring in Sanjaebi Village were due to kidnappings!

As she tensed her entire body reflexively, the unidentified kidnapper spoke nonchalantly.

“You’re awake?”

“Oh, it’s you… phew.”

It wasn’t a kidnapper but a crazy wizard. Selbier calmed her startled heart and relaxed her body. Instead of waking her up, they had been carrying her.

As her drowsiness gradually faded, Selbier looked around. They were crossing the city, and the crazy wizard was… drenched in sweat. They were struggling to carry a backpack in both hands.

They had chosen to carry her instead of waking her up. They had a lot of baggage, after all.

Selvia spoke with a feigned grumble, a mix of gratitude and the tickling sensation of guilt rising within her.

“…Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were sleeping so soundly. I just added a spoonful to your skincare routine, didn’t I?”

“What does a fire mage care about good skin?”

“You’ll need it when you get married, right?”

Marriage. Selvia flinched. That strange word made her react for no reason.

She tightened her grip around the shoulders of the mad mage, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper.

“…It’s heavy, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not heavy. In fact, I might need to eat a bit more, you know?”

A lie. He was clearly struggling.

The mad mage was a man whose playfulness pierced the heavens, so if she asked if it was heavy, he would have teased her with something like, “I thought I was carrying an elephant,” or “Seeing you ask such an obvious question, I guess you realized you’re heavy.”

She expected that kind of teasing.

“………”

Her head felt fuzzy. Was she still drowsy? Selvia hesitated, debating whether to get down… but decided to stay just a little longer. She would have to get down eventually, but she needed extra time.

With a strangely elated expression, Selvia buried her nose in the nape of his neck. Then, carefully, so as not to be caught, she inhaled. The scent of a man wafted from his sweat-drenched skin.

Is this what it smells like?

“…It tickles.”

“…Huh?”

“Stop blowing air on my neck. It makes me feel ticklish.”

“Well, a person can’t just stop breathing, can they?!”

Only then did her mind clear.

Selvia’s face and ears turned bright red, and she didn’t know what to do. What was she doing right now? Why was she even smelling him?!

I’m crazy, I’m crazy, Selvia!

In a flurry, Selvia jumped off the mad mage’s back and grabbed both bags he was holding.

“Hey, give me one.”

“No way. It must have been heavy carrying a person too… From now on, I’ll carry them, so just know that!”

“No, I mean… it really wasn’t that heavy?”

“Just hide those trembling arms and speak.”

As Selvia pointed that out, the mad mage averted his gaze with an awkward expression. He might have been a master of facial expressions, but he couldn’t fake the strain on his muscles.

He had carried Selvia until he was nearly exhausted.

—

I thought about waking him up if it got too hard. But there was a reason I didn’t. Isn’t it a common rule that when you mess up, you end up doing the housework diligently and cooking everything in sight?

The mad wizard rubbed his numb arm and spoke while watching Selvier’s back as she strode ahead.

“I have something to confess.”

“……?”

“It’s a bit of a mess.”

——–

“So, you’re saying a fragment of your soul… caused some trouble. And now the entire city is filled with uncooperative people?”

“Not the whole city, I’d say. But probably most of it?”

“It’s true that it shattered into thirty pieces… No, why are you getting involved in such dangerous matters! Shouldn’t an academy professor just be teaching students safely?!”

I got scolded for having my soul split.

Anyway, the situation isn’t looking too good.

The official purpose of the ‘Psychopath Module’ is to provide mental protection from extreme situations. Even if a lover dies, it makes you indifferent, pushing you to do what needs to be done right away.

And for some reason, the citizens of Polmaker are affected by this, to the point where they ignore even the simplest questions like where the inn is.

The reason this is a bad situation is that inquiries have essentially been sealed off.

I’m currently in the mode of a dark tower wizard. Naturally, illusion magic is tricky to use due to compatibility issues, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be very efficient. Right now, my processing power has plummeted, making me feel like a fool.

In other words, it means I’m lacking magical means of exploration.

So, I had planned to casually chat and find out what I needed, but if there’s no one to listen to my tongue wagging, it’s all for nothing.

Normally, I would have unleashed NPCs all over the city.

“…So, you really mean we have to go out and search ourselves? We can’t use the information guild either.”

That’s right. Earlier, when I was thirsty and tried to buy an apple, they kicked me out, saying they weren’t open for business today.

“There might be a few decent people around, but finding them is a task in itself. So we have two options. Either we find what we need the hard way, or we recover my soul fragments first and then search.”

“Things have definitely gotten more complicated…”

“I-I’m sorry, Selvier… Don’t hit me, ugh…”

“I’m not going to hit you?!”

Saying that, Selvier struck my bicep. I had intended to use the heart of a green frog to block the blow, but it seems she’s the type whose hands are quicker than her mouth.

In the end, we decided to recover my data fragments first and then search for what we needed. It seemed like it would be faster that way.

First, we needed to analyze the situation accurately. I grabbed a passing passerby, a beastman mercenary of a size I could easily overpower, and asked.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

“I don’t want to.”

“I don’t like being refused. Come here.”

—

“I’m telling you I don’t want to…!”

Swish.

With a skill honed on the ground, I swiftly subdued him. Then, after binding his limbs tightly, I drew a magic circle on the beastman’s belly and began the status analysis.

I shouldn’t have to use a magic circle for this. It felt like jotting down multiplication tables in a notebook, which bruised my pride, but there was no choice if I wanted to cast illusion magic in this state.

“Ugh, mmm…!!”

“Hahaha! No one passing by will help you. Just like you did, everyone is indifferent to others!”

“…Do you really have to say that?”

Analysis results.

“Selvier, there’s a very perfect explanation with complicated theories. Or, there’s a simple explanation that’s roughly summarized… which one do you prefer?”

“The simple one.”

“The dark magician is using pieces of my soul.”

“…Can you explain it a bit more clearly?”

I faced the goddess’s mistake and instantaneously changed my race, then split it as soon as I grasped it to target for ‘forced banishment.’

Naturally, that division wasn’t intricate or perfect. It was a rushed job, and given the complexity of the task, mistakes were inevitable.

From here, it’s speculation.

Some of them contained ‘personality,’ but some existed only as pure data masses with little or no personality or will.

Pieces that function only without consciousness. In other words──

“Artifacts?”

“Exactly.”

“…So you’re saying that when a part of the soul was detached, it became an artifact? And the dark magicians are using that.”

“Right…?”

It sounds a bit strange when put that way.

However, due to the nature of the module itself, it wouldn’t have been easy to draw out the power contained in the data fragments. They would have refused at every turn with ‘I don’t want to.’

So, forcibly prying open a vault that wouldn’t budge, the result was using the power inside in a crude and clumsy manner.

Whooosh──!

Above the magic circle drawn on the beastman’s belly, a black will-o’-the-wisp floated up.

“This means there’s a trace left. With this, I should be able to track it. Judging by the level of magic, he’s not that strong. Let’s go find him.”

“…The difficulty of the Red Tower Lord has increased. At first, I thought it was unfair, but I’m starting to understand.”

“If you learn well under a good master like me, you’ll be able to do this much.”

“That’s not something someone who’s always wandering outside the academy should say!”

—

Right. I’ve wandered outside quite a bit, so perhaps I’ve been somewhat neglectful of my duties as a professor. When I return to the academy this time, I should assign a mountain of tasks. Enough to fill the void I’ve created.

The power of the “Psychopath Module” has considerable contagion. It’s due to the principle that underlies my illusion magic: ‘the more you believe, the stronger the power becomes.’

If a single person on the street is indifferent, it’s strange, but if the entire alley is indifferent, it’s just how it is. The more infected individuals there are, the greater the power and the faster the spread.

Once it reaches its peak.

The Polemaker will become a silent city, where even sacrificing a person as an offering will not elicit a blink. The dark sorcerers will be thrilled.

Let’s collect it before the module’s power envelops the entire city.

Thump, thump.

We tracked the will-o’-the-wisps flying into the sky.

——–

Day 1. Limited search range successful.

“…The will-o’-the-wisp has gone out?”

“It ran out of magic. Can I borrow some of yours?”

“W-What? I don’t have to give it as a yawn, do I?!”

“A handshake is enough.”

———-

Day 2. Narrowed down to three target buildings.

“I’ll take a closer look over here. If you could just lend me the will-o’-the-wisp…”

“We haven’t had dinner yet. Let’s eat first. If you lose more weight here, you might just disappear.”

“But if they run away, things will get messier, right?”

———-

Day 3. Only one promising target left.

“I roughly understand the method. I think I can summon it too. I’ll cast it tomorrow, so save your magic.”

“…It’s currently one in the morning. If we draw the magic circle and all that, we’ll be up all night.”

“I can manage without sleep for a day. If you go ahead and sleep, I’ll take care of it, huh?!”

“No way, you. From now until we leave this place, I declare it a room you cannot exit. Try to get past if you can!”

———-

And finally, the much-anticipated Day 4. We were about to infiltrate the presumed stronghold of the dark sorcerers. It was an antique wooden building.

Searching an entire city isn’t an easy task. I didn’t expect it to take this long. Of course, if I had been in perfect condition, I would have finished it in no time…

I suddenly realized how comfortable a world I had been living in.

“…Hmph.”

Selvia has a somewhat sulky expression. Is she pouting because I told her to take it easy? Or is she angry because I tried to trip her as she insisted on going out, accidentally burying her face in my chest?

It was soft.

Still, I think it was a necessary measure. People can certainly make an effort, and it’s good if they do, but she seems a bit overly desperate, perhaps.

Should I say she looks like she’s wearing clothes that don’t fit?

Before diving in, I subtly asked Selvia.

“Hey, Selvia. Isn’t it hard to move forward like that?”

“…Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Just worried.”

“This is how I remember my childhood friend, Professor. I thought I wanted to be like her, so I’m just doing my best to become that way.”

Selvia drew a clear line with her words.

But I think there’s a contradiction in that statement.

I don’t know my past self. Perhaps Selvia knows more about my past than I do. But there’s one thing we can understand because we’re from the same country: those who burn themselves always have a goal.

So I should ask Selvia this.

‘What does the sun burn for?’

From noble mtl dot come

“Ta—”

“I’m going in.”

“…….”

Selvia cut off the conversation, as if she no longer wanted to talk, or perhaps wanted to avoid it. Well, it’s not the time for such discussions before a battle. If the mind is in disarray, it would be hard to fight.

“Huff.”

I took a deep breath to gather my focus.

——–

Selvia and the mad wizard cautiously opened the door to the building and entered.

Selvia had half-raised her magical power and was ready to chant. She was heating the magic circuit and waiting just until the moment before casting.

It’s difficult to hold onto already cast magic, to keep that power from leaking and going undetected, and to control the light. Most wizards do it this way.

However, as if to mock that, the mad wizard advanced with a small fire spear loaded under his sleeve.

It was definitely cast. It could be observed with the naked eye. But there was no sense of magical power, the light was strangely dim, and the shape was clear and unwavering. It simply looked like a red metal arrow.

One couldn’t help but be awed by that skill.

“…Really, a monster.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Selbier increased her walking pace slightly.

As she walked down the long, worn corridor, a acrid smell brushed against her nose. The mad wizard covered his nose with his sleeve and said quietly.

“…It smells like burnt flesh.”

“You didn’t burn something while cooking, did you?”

And then the door at the end of the corridor. She had checked all the other doors she passed by and completed the scans. This was the only door left.

If there is a dark wizard, he is inside.

The smell of burning grew stronger. The mad wizard, just to be sure, checked the temperature of the doorknob with the back of his hand. It wasn’t hot. It was lukewarm.

And then, bang.

Shouldering the door open, aiming her magic, she entered…

“…….”

Inside was filled with charred corpses. Soot swirled in patterns everywhere, and there were faint traces of resistance.

It was the mark of annihilation.

The dark wizard had been incinerated in an instant by overwhelming firepower, and had gracefully escaped from this place.

One thing to note is that this is a wooden building.

Fire magic was unleashed inside a structure made of wood, yet instead of spreading, it left only a bit of soot behind. Meanwhile, all the dark wizards were killed.

This means perfect control over the flames.

“……Kravellin Render.”

A shallow fear seeped from Selbier’s voice. She was overwhelmed.

Fire magic is hard to control but highly destructive. If such flames are being controlled to the extreme, how tremendous would the concentrated destructive power be?

It was a level so high that she could barely even dream of it. The mere fact that he was still alive after being expelled from the enemy tower indirectly proved his talent and strength.

She couldn’t win. Absolutely not.

Unless there was a monster like Kravellin Render, or even stronger, by her side.

Selbier looked at the mad wizard. He looked at the traces without surprise or trembling, simply speaking calmly as if he found it interesting.

“Wow, that’s quite the show, isn’t it? It seems like my soul fragment was taken by that guy too.”

“……Is this what you call a show?!”

How high are your standards…!

Selbier consciously lowered her voice, which had risen without her realizing, and asked while glancing around.

“Does this mean we have lost the way to track him?”

“No. I think… this fire show just happened not long ago. If we follow now, we should be able to find him. He can’t have gone far. Selbier, let’s go!”

The mad wizard dashed out, chasing the remnants of magical power.

“⋯⋯Yes? Ah, I understand. I’ll follow you!”

Selvia also chased after the mad wizard.

As she ran toward her target, one question lingered in her mind like soot. A feeling that surpassed hesitation and fear…

Can I truly be of help between these two genius wizards?

Will I once again end up just receiving from him?