Chapter 127

Chapter 127

“…It’s still a long way off, though. Actually, I still don’t have a clue how to do it.” Josef quickly reverted to a serious expression, then gave a bitter smile and continued. “I succeeded in restoring the doppelganger’s cells, but there were more difficulties from there. Actually, I’m not very confident right now. My teacher failed so many times over the years, I wonder if I can achieve it while I’m still alive.” It was nothing less than changing a species. It was doubtful whether it was even possible to turn a dog into a cat, but turning a human into a demon was even more absurd. At this rate, the teacher’s research was much more promising. “….” However, as someone with knowledge of martial arts, especially about Rebirth, I couldn’t dismiss his research as nonsense. Rebirth is the process of fusing martial arts and humans. A body that has accumulated internal energy gradually transforms into a body more suitable for martial arts, and when it reaches its peak, it manifests as Rebirth. And that process is related to the demonization that Josef is researching. Anyway, evolution is also a process of changing species. The existence of martial arts families was also in a similar context. More important than strong martial arts is getting closer to martial prowess. The body that has achieved Rebirth changes from the most basic genes, and that is inherited down to the descendants. Therefore, martial arts families that have developed martial arts for a long time have a force that cannot be ignored. Bloodlines are passed down, martial arts are passed down, and masters who have achieved Rebirth reinforce the links in that bloodline, and the blood gradually becomes consistent with the family’s secret martial arts. The martial artists in my memory didn’t seem to be aware of it themselves because they didn’t have that knowledge, but it could be seen as a kind of gradual evolution. …The most important thing in Rebirth is enlightenment, so reaching the extreme is a completely different matter. It’s called enlightenment, but it’s really difficult to recognize the structure of your own accumulated blood vessels, the nature of your internal energy, and the parts that you’ve built up incorrectly while learning martial arts. “…So, I’m at a standstill these days. To be exact, it’s been like this for several years.” It was a resigned tone, but his eyes were still not those of someone who had given up. These Quirkeyeve masters and disciples were somehow similar. The two took different approaches to the goal of the Philosopher’s Heart, but the results were the same. The teacher is trying to create a core that humans can use, and the disciple is trying to become a demon to use magic. I don’t know if there’s that much merit in being so obsessed with the Philosopher’s Heart, but that’s how people’s dreams are. Everyone has their own wishes that others can’t understand. While I was pondering his words, Josef slapped his knee as if something had occurred to him. “Ah, and now that I think about it. I need to get some of your blood.” “…Huh?” What the hell is this out of the blue… oh, wait. He said earlier that he had restored the doppelganger’s cells. Since he’s capable of human body modification, he might be able to fix my petrified limbs. “In order for the doppelganger’s cells to recognize your genetic information, I need a sample of your blood or body tissue. And… I’ll try to culture it as similarly as possible, but it will feel more foreign than your original limbs.” I guess so. He was trying to fix my petrification in a different way than I was. …But what he’s saying is a little strange. No, rather than strange, it feels like I’ve heard a dangerous statement…? “Wait a minute. Then my original arms…?” I asked, holding up my unmoving stone arms, and Josef shook his head and replied. “They’re already dead. The nerves are petrified so you don’t feel any pain, but the internal tissues are all necrotic. Unless it’s a delicate magic like Nakarfus, it can’t be helped.” “…So, you’re saying I have to cut them off?” In response to my question, Josef nodded silently.

-Nod.

“My legs too?”

-Nod.

I had thought about it a few times in my head, but that was only half-joking, I never thought he would actually cut them off… well, it was half-serious, but I couldn’t help but be flustered when I heard him say it directly. When I stopped talking for a moment because I was flustered, Josef shrugged and picked up something from the table. “First, I’ll draw some blood, just in case.” What he picked up was a sharp needle. Josef grabbed it with his right hand and aimed it at a part of my body that hadn’t been petrified yet. …Wait a minute. That won’t work. “Uh, wait a minute!?” I shouted quickly, but Josef ignored me like a doctor in front of a patient, and immediately stabbed the needle.

-Squeak.

“…Huh?” However, the needle, which looked sharp just by looking at it, couldn’t penetrate my skin and bent. There was a slight stinging sensation, but that was it. It’s only natural. My body, which has mastered Iron Body Armor, won’t even be scratched by most weapons. “….” Somehow, Josef’s gaze is more stinging than being stabbed with a needle. // “That’s amazing, how did you do this?” Surprisingly, Josef wasn’t too surprised. Did he think it was a kind of magic? Of course, the look in his eyes was still filled with surprise. “It’s a bit complicated to explain.” “How many things in the world aren’t? Is it Vitae’s magic?” “….Yes, in a way.” In a broad sense, martial arts is also a kind of magic, so it’s not wrong. Even though I haven’t learned much, I’m also a member of the Necromancer School. And it would make more sense to say that it’s Mien’s research rather than my own independent research. When I nodded, Josef admired and stroked my shoulder. “….Amazing. It’s just skin, but I’ve never seen anything this strong.” He looked down at me with curious eyes, stroking my neckline and pinching my skin. …I know that what’s in that touch isn’t lust, but academic passion including curiosity, but isn’t it a bit much to touch me so carelessly? It’s okay to touch me, but I’m worried that my body might get a little hot. “Then, Arsha-nim too….?” “That’s not the case.” “I see, I heard that Arsha-nim uses her own body as a magical artifact, so I guess you’re in a similar case.” To be exact, it’s a little different, but anyway, it’s similar. An Artifact was a tool made to allow a magician to exert their magic most effectively. All those who use magic are lumped together as magicians, but strictly speaking, there is a big difference between Magic Users who are skilled in spellcraft and real Wizards. Magic users are those who transcribe existing spells into magic books and use them. They can handle magic power with telekinesis, also called mental power, and learn spellcraft to write magic books to some extent, but they cannot develop magic on their own. On the other hand, a wizard is a scholar who researches their own magic and applies it to reality, and explores knowledge in that field. Just as Quirkeyeve used his tentacles as familiars, a Wizard uses his own tools. The engravings on Mien’s body were also in a similar context. Judging from Josef’s words, her secret weapon is probably that she can exercise some magic without the help of a core with her near-immortal life force. “Uh….that’s right.” “If this kind of application is possible, wouldn’t it be possible to have some resistance to magic power….no, maybe I can even replicate this….” It was an ambiguous answer that was neither affirmative nor negative, but Josef seemed to be already lost in his own world. It’s a good thing, isn’t it, since there’s no need to make strange excuses…? //

-Clang!

When a porcelain cup collided with the wooden floor and broke, the eyes of the people in the store all turned to the direction of the sound. The sound echoed even more loudly in the already noisy cafe. People sitting around the table, discussing politics, culture, and art, stared at the table that made the dissonance with their faces scrunched up. However, after sending such uncomfortable glances for a moment, they soon lost interest and withdrew their gazes, only checking the existence of the uninvited guest who had intervened in their time. Meanwhile, Mien Arsha, the person who caused the disturbance, looked at the old man in front of her with astonished eyes and asked. “….What did you just say?” “H-huh?” Quirkeyeve couldn’t help but be momentarily flustered by her sharp question. Flustered, he looked back on himself to see what he had said wrong. Fortunately, the process didn’t take long. “You just said that she could solve the clue to the research.” “….I did.” “So, you’re going to use my disciple as a….guinea pig?” How does that lead to such a conclusion? Quirkeyeve had a hard time understanding Mien’s words, but he soon came up with one possibility and hardened his expression. “You, did you know what kind of research I was doing?” “…..” Mien didn’t answer, but it was clear that it was an affirmative expression. How did she know? Seeing her reaction, Quirkeyeve sighed deeply. “Haa….damn it.” While the sigh he exhaled from deep inside his chest leaked out of his mouth, one possibility came to his mind. Yuri Peshian. Mien was close to her, so she could have easily found out about his research. “Even if you’re a senior, you can’t treat my disciple like that.” Looking at Mien, who was speaking in a firm tone, Quirkeyeve also hardened his expression. It was something he would have had to say sooner or later anyway. Now that it’s come to this, it might not be bad to tell her everything. “That child allowed it. And I will pay a corresponding price as well.” “Do you really think so? Even if she allowed it, do you really think it’s something that can be forgiven? Have you already forgotten what you did back then?” “I don’t think that story is something to be told here.” At Quirkeyeve’s words, Mien realized and looked around. Fortunately, the people in the cafe were all talking to each other, and no one was watching the two of them. ‘That incident’ was a thing of the past that had been a long time ago, but it was also a painful memory for the two of them. “…At least, I thought you would be regretting what happened back then.” Mien looked at him and muttered in a voice filled with deep and complex emotions. No matter how much time has passed, painful memories are not forgotten. Quirkeyeve was the one who provided the decisive move in the collapse of the Necromancer School. The school collapsed because the Magic Society of the Kilkard Kingdom was wary of the Necromancer School, which was leading its own forces in the southern desert area, but if the old man had not provided the excuse, the school would not have been driven to the point of collapse. At the time, the Necromancer School was trapped in the narrow well of the southern desert area, thinking that it could no longer develop. There is a limit to magic that is locked in a room and researched. After all, people’s thoughts deepen through exchange, and the study of magic does not deviate from that framework. The Necromancer School, which believed in its own magic, had expectations that it would develop further by being incorporated into the Magic Society of the Kilkard Kingdom. And what shattered that expectation was the research note that Quirkeyeve submitted.

The magic Old Man Quirjev was researching had many results that could only be obtained by experimenting on living humans, and the Magic Society had realized this. The Necromancer faction’s inclusion in academia was rejected due to ethical issues, and the enraged heads of each faction blamed each other and turned their backs on one another. Because they had mostly cleared out the southern desert region, they had nowhere to return. Thus, the school that had been passed down for many years collapsed. With such memories, Mien couldn’t possibly welcome Quirjev’s human experimentation. Especially if the subject was her own disciple. “…It’s different from then.” Quirjev protested in a heavy tone, but to Mien, it sounded like nothing more than an excuse. “No, it’s not different. You’re the kind of person who would do anything for your own purposes.” She said that and then moved her lips. As if she had more to say. “…..” However, she didn’t continue. No matter how much she disliked him, they had a long-standing relationship. Mien didn’t want to cut off that love-hate bond with her own hands. “…I’m sorry.” Quirjev seemed to know this, and he offered her an apology with a pained expression. Mien’s face hardened again at those words. It was because she knew that it wasn’t an apology for the past. “But, even if you object, I won’t stop. No, I can’t stop.” His apology was for what was about to happen. Quirjev continued, looking at Mien with a contradictory expression—lips twisted in pain, yet eyes filled with the will to not stop. “…This is the last atonement I can make to the school.” Listening to Quirjev’s words, Mien quietly bit her lip. In the end, he hadn’t changed. And he wouldn’t change in the future either. “Somehow, I thought you would say that, Master.” Mien muttered in resignation, then met Quirjev’s eyes and opened her mouth again. “Then, I’ll go to the underground plaza too.” First, she needed to meet Lyla. After that, she might end up confronting Quirjev… but that was a problem to think about later.