“Did I return to Limbo?”
“Yes, User.”
“I can go back to the past again?”
“Of course.”
Ethan thought it was an astonishing magic, but he could somewhat accept it. The spells casted by the invaders of Damarat Yurmuth—such as the Dark God Yorr, the Tentacle God Musamusa, and the Exiled Dragon Loranquerio—on their contractors were always terrifying.
The empire had tried to downplay the invasions caused by Demi, but there were people from other countries who had witnessed the horrors first-hand. Records indicated that even during Demi’s invasions, their armies were formidable.
Two quests appeared in Ethan’s vision.
[Quest Generated!]
[Quest: Defeat Vine Wiz Decarun (C)]
[Quest Generated!]
[Quest: Survive for 3 Days (D)]
Ethan asked, “There are two quests?”
“Quests can appear in multiples depending on the conditions.”
“And what exactly does ‘defeat’ mean?”
“It includes killing, as well as forcing the target to leave—whether physically or from their social position. As long as they no longer enjoy their current status and no longer interfere with you, it counts as ‘defeated.’”
“What does ‘survive for 3 days’ mean?”
Demi remained silent for a moment, as if choosing its words carefully.
“Quests arise when they are sufficiently challenging for your situation, provide a reason to be completed, and have value as a challenge. The fact that ‘surviving for 3 days’ appeared suggests that staying alive itself has become a worthy challenge for you.”
“…I see. Thanks for the explanation.”
Demi held out a black box with a hole.
“First, would you like to draw a lot?”
“Shall I?”
Ethan was about to reach out but suddenly noticed something in his peripheral vision—something that hadn’t been there before.
“Wait, what’s that?”
Ethan pointed to something in the corner of Limbo. It was a figure in a red robe, wearing a golden mask with only eye holes. But beyond the mask and inside the robe, there was nothing.
It stared at Ethan.
<I am a merchant.>
“A merchant?”
Ethan looked at Demi. Demi nodded slightly, indicating it was okay to converse.
Ethan approached the merchant.
“If you’re a merchant, you sell things?”
<That is correct.>
“To buy something, I need money, right?”
<That is correct.>
“But I don’t have any money.”
The merchant pointed to the inner pocket of Ethan’s coat.
Ethan, feeling skeptical, searched the pocket. Inside, he found something.
It looked like a coin—blue, with white stripes around the edge, and incredibly light. There was something recognizable in the center: the letter “D.”
“This is…?”
<It is a coupon that allows you to draw a lot from the administrator. You can either use it for a D-rank draw or exchange it with me to purchase an item.>
“What kind of items can I buy?”
<With a D-rank coupon, you can only buy D-rank items.>
Ethan calculated in his head.
“Wouldn’t it always be better to buy instead of drawing? Rather than hoping for something useful, I could just buy what I need directly.”
<However, there are things that can only be obtained through drawing. I do not sell a wide variety of items—everything I offer can also be acquired through the draw.>
So, while there were times when purchasing from the merchant was the better choice, there would also be situations where drawing lots was preferable if the needed item wasn’t available.
Ethan said, “Alright. I’ll discuss it for a moment. That okay?”
<I do not mind.>
Ethan returned to Demi.
“Can I trust that merchant?”
“Yes. I control your Limbo, and I do not allow harmful entities to enter. That ‘merchant’ is permitted because it can be of assistance to you.”
Ethan nodded.
“Alright. Let’s talk about what happened after I went through that door behind you. I don’t think I can do things the same way as before.”
“Why do you think that?”
“If I go back as I am now, I’ll be in a better situation than before. First, I’ll kill Bohn.”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll kill Professor Vine as well.”
“Yes.”
“No, wait. Changing the order would be better. I should assassinate Professor Vine first, then take care of Bohn. Killing them when they least expect it increases the chances of success.”
Ethan glanced at Demi’s expression and said.
“I don’t like killing people either.”
“I never said anything.”
Demi added, “Once you kill both, you should be able to find proof against the Inquisition.”
“Yeah. Bohn definitely has something. But there’s a problem.”
Ethan said, “To kill Vine, I must use a gun.”
“That would expose you as a dark mage.”
“That’s not good. The professors at Yurmuth Magic Academy might not kill me, but they would at least try to seal my dark magic. And if the empire has influence over the academy, then the empire will eventually discover my existence. That would make my future uncertain.”
“What do you plan to do, then?”
Ethan looked at the merchant.
“Let’s do this.”
Ethan opened the door and returned, heading to the Basic Magic Practice classroom.
When it was his turn, Professor Ribbelton spoke.
“Ethan, it’s your turn.”
“Yes.”
As Ethan stepped forward, he heard whispers.
“He’s attending class till the very end. Quite the courage. Is this the honour of a noble family?”
“Well, if it becomes clear he can’t use magic, wouldn’t that be disgraceful?”
Ignoring the ridicule, Ethan climbed onto the platform.
“Ethan, this is your final practice.”
“Yes.”
“I wonder if you’ve prepared enough.”
“I did as much as I could.”
“Begin when you’re ready.”
Ethan held something in both hands, which he had taken from his coat pocket. Then, he turned toward the students and pulled the attached strings.
-Pop!
Colorful confetti and shimmering paper fragments scattered into the air.
What Ethan had triggered was a party popper he had purchased from the merchant.
He had thought it was expensive at first, but it came in a set of 100.
Ethan had bought party poppers to pass the Basic Magic Practice class.
‘If I use a gun, Bohn will find out. This party popper is also a product from Terra, but according to Demi, Damarat Yurmuth has never seen or used such an item before.’
Though his performance seemed lackluster compared to the other students’ magic, the class burst into laughter.
Ethan subtly observed Professor Ribbelton.
Fortunately, Ribbelton did not laugh.
As the confetti and paper settled on the ground, Ribbelton asked,
“That’s it?”
“No, there’s more.”
As Ethan took out another identical party popper from his pocket, Ribbelton intervened.
“If it’s the same magic, there’s no need to continue.”
“Understood.”
Ribbelton checked the evaluation sheet with his quill and asked a few questions.
“It seems to be alchemy, correct?”
“Yes. As far as I know, alchemy falls under the broad category of magic, and renowned alchemist families are also treated as mage families—”
Ribbelton raised a hand to cut him off.
“Just answer the question.”
“Yes.”
“Can it be activated instantly?”
“Yes.”
“Can you increase the explosion size if necessary?”
“Yes.”
“You used visually striking materials. Why?”
“Because they effectively draw the enemy’s attention.”
“I see.”
Demi interjected.
<In ‘party poppers,’ the word ‘party’ refers to a joyful gathering to celebrate an occasion.>
<I’ve already heard that explanation. But this is a magic academy, not a school for parlor tricks. To gain extra points, the magic must have some guaranteed usefulness—one that aligns with what the academy traditionally recognizes. Combat magic is intuitive and easy to understand.>
<Understood. But it seems Professor Ribbelton is asking more questions than before.>
<I noticed. Be quiet.>
After a few more questions and answers, Ribbelton nodded.
“Ethan.”
“Yes.”
“You pass.”
“Thank you.”
Ethan sighed in relief. But that relief didn’t last long.
“Ethan!”
00
When he turned around, Arca was standing just as before—arms crossed, leaning against the stone railing of the second-floor corridor that connected the lecture hall and the dormitory.
“What brings you here, sister?”
“I heard you passed the Basic Magic Practical.”
“Yes.”
So far, the conversation mirrored their past exchange, but what followed was no praise.
“Passing the practical exam with such a cheap trick? I have no idea what you’re thinking. Aren’t you ashamed, not just before our family, but before Father as well? And alchemy? What do you think people will say when they hear that a house as renowned as ours is dabbling in alchemy?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize to me. Where did you get that trick? Did you make it yourself?”
“You’re calling it magic, right? Fine. But even if you managed to pass the basic practical this way, what’s your plan for the real one?”
“…I don’t have one.”
“I thought as much. You may have found a way to get by this time, but improvisation will only take you so far. Go back and reflect on this. No matter how urgent it was, this isn’t right.”
With that, Arca turned and walked away.
Ethan spoke to Demi.
<This is why I didn’t want to do it.>
<Is the party popper really such an issue?>
<The Charasen family is one of the five oldest houses in the Mage Assembly. We’ve frequently held the chairman’s seat, and everyone in our family takes immense pride in magic. They don’t just have talented mages—they have geniuses. In fact, my sister is one of those rare ‘true’ geniuses, the kind even the most arrogant of mages acknowledge. So, of course, she’s angry that I passed with something so trivial.>
<I see.>
Just when Ethan thought Arca had left, she came running back toward him.
“Sister?”
“I forgot to say something.”
“What?”
“Congratulations.”
“…Thanks.”
Arca pointed a finger at the corner of Ethan’s lips.
“Don’t smirk.”
“I wasn’t smiling yet.”
“Not later, either. Now go to your room and reflect.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After Arca left, Ethan stole a glance behind him before heading to his room.
As he expected, Bohn did not appear.
“So, Bohn didn’t recognize the party popper as dark magic.”
<That’s fortunate. Now we can proceed to the next step.>
Ethan nodded and made his way toward Bohn’s dormitory. When he knocked on the door, Bohn stepped out. His glasses were slightly oversized, and he wore an indifferent expression.
“Who is it… Ethan?”
“This is our first time speaking, isn’t it? Did you already know me?”
“It’s hard to avoid hearing about a notorious troublemaker.”
“Oh, really?”
Ethan stepped forward to enter the room, but Bohn blocked the doorway with his body.
“What do you want?”
“I just want to talk.”
“Then speak here.”
Ethan glanced around. He already knew no one was around, but he did it deliberately to make Bohn notice.
“I know you work for the Empire’s Inquisition Bureau.”
Leave a Reply