The hair loss inducing agent prepared for the plan was in liquid form; its potency was not very strong, but it evaporated quickly.
It had to serve as a justification for canceling the festival while ensuring that the damage from the hair loss agent didn’t become too excessive. Therefore, I chose one with relatively weak effects, making it easier to manage.
If it had spread into the air, it would have all blown away within two days due to the wind.
But at this point, coalesced inside the building, its weakened efficacy was meaningless.
“Ugh, my vision…”
“Chloe, student. As you well know, I’d like to remind you of a few precautions. First, flame magic is prohibited.”
“Is it because of the risk of explosion?”
“That too, but as you know, a magical barrier doesn’t block the air completely.”
Right now, we were magically sealing up doors and windows, but if flame magic was used in here to vaporize the hair loss agent still in liquid form or floating in the air, and heaven forbid if it leaked outside the building…
It would be too late for quick measures.
“I’d appreciate shock and cutting-focused magic if possible. And because of the risk of secondary collapse, the walls of the research lab must not be damaged recklessly.”
“Um…”
“Lastly, please inform me before using magic. While mage students like you, Chloe, can feel the premonitions of magic and hide, I am Rank 1.”
“I’ll remember that.”
What the heck. Aren’t you a Rank 5 mage? Why don’t you know this?
Giving her a slightly doubtful look, Chloe smiled awkwardly.
“Actually, this is my first time experiencing something like this… It’s reassuring to have the Finance Director with us.”
“…Ah.”
Right. Ordinary students don’t go into collapsing buildings to assess property damage or quote estimates, do they?
I had gotten so used to entering such collapsed buildings that it became second nature.
Despite being a colleague from the original story or a great mage’s apprentice, she was still just a student.
“Does the Finance Director have a lot of experience with this?”
“Seems that way. Usually, I go in with the exam proctors or guard force, but this is my first time entering with a student.”
“F-first time?”
“Yes… Chloe?”
“Y-yes!?”
“Why are you squirming like that?”
“This is not my will…!! Ah, no. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again…”
“This is a building where an explosion and a leak just occurred. Don’t be careless.”
Since I was accompanied by the Rank 5 mage Chloe and the Headmistress was outside, along with the defenses provided by the dean and professors, it was unlikely we’d get into danger.
But if any additional collapse occurred here, the repair costs would be higher. After advising Chloe, I stepped into the hazy hallway of the research lab filled with the hair loss agent.
“Cough, cough. It’s hard to breathe.”
“It certainly seems like the quantity is significant.”
At this level, it was nearly impossible to distinguish my vision, right? Was the agent green? Because there was green vapor everywhere.
But it’s not a big deal.
Swish.
“F-Finance Director!? What are you doing…?”
“Chloe, student, take a low stance. We’re advancing like this.”
Ah, this is the ‘low stance.’ A maneuver to avoid toxic gas during a fire.
The hair loss agent’s vapor isn’t necessarily life-threatening, but it is harmful to hair and makes it hard to breathe.
Although there’s purification magic, trying to purify the vapor right in front of me would just have it refilled immediately; purification magic is notoriously inefficient.
Thanks to the protective magic I had wrapped around me, my elbows seemed safe from scrapes.
“Didn’t you learn about this in the academy theory class? Hurry up and do it.”
“Yes…”
More than anything, this isn’t even my unique knowledge. It’s common sense in this world too that you should lower your body during a fire or gas leak.
However, given how unusual the situation is… plus the awkwardness of the position, it’s a little embarrassing. Given that Chloe is still a sensitive young female student and wearing a skirt, that adds to the awkwardness.
Creeping forward in a low stance didn’t leave much room for conversation; all I could focus on was moving my limbs.
Occasionally checking if she was following, I found her expressing doubt.
In any case, after navigating multiple forks and opening doors, we finally reached our destination.
“The entrance to the underground lab is over there, but… it’s already serious.”
“Oh my.”
I had seen the entrance to the underground lab in the blueprints, but the door was wide open and green vapor was billowing out.
Every time we opened a door on the way here, vapor had burst out like an explosion, and it all came from there.
With that amount of vapor, whether crawling or standing, it would make no difference. I gestured to Chloe, who seemed at a loss for words.
“Chloe, student, we’re going in right away.”
“Finance Director? Look at that vapor! All of that is the hair loss agent! We can’t even see in front of us…!!”
“We came here to go inside. Given that the above-ground lab is filled with vapor, didn’t you already guess?”
“That much is true, but still…”
To be fair, it looked a bit daunting to enter. Even though we had purification and defensive spells, we were still essentially entering a room filled with a hair loss inducing agent’s vapor.
Which is why I wasn’t irritated with Chloe hesitating.
After all, Chloe is still a student. It’s quite impressive that she came this far on her own without being a professor or staff member.
Isn’t this something for the paycheck guys to handle?
“Chloe, you can just wait here.”
“Y-yes…?”
“First, I’ll go into the underground lab to assess the situation. If I think I need your assistance, then I’ll call for you. How does that sound?”
“…”
Upon reflection, I regretted that none of the professors were bald. At the budget allocation meeting, I noticed there were plenty of bald professors in the field of magic, but that was just due to the limited number of professors present when the lab exploded.
Anyhow, my irritation should be directed at the professors who were keeping their distance outside. I should take the opportunity of this incident to lower the salaries of the magic field professors.
I don’t have any noble missions or responsibilities as a staff member, but I do have basic professional ethics.
No matter how powerful, Chloe is ultimately still a student, and I am the Finance Director.
It falls to us to manage, operate, protect, and resolve issues at the academy—not the students.
I’m not anything special; this is common sense that any staff member should have.
Of course, if I stated this outright, Chloe’s personality would probably have her insisting on coming along.
“Isn’t it inefficient for both of us to go in? First, let me go in, and if there’s anything I can’t handle, then I’ll call you. Sound fair?”
“…Finance Director.”
“Then, please wait here.”
I made up a sufficient reason and stated it. While anything could happen to me out here, as long as the Headmistress was outside, it wouldn’t.
After ensuring that the communication magic tool I brought was in hand, I opened the door to the underground lab without delay.
Woof!
The green vapor obscured my vision. Knowing that this was the hair loss agent made me more anxious about my hair rather than worried about breathing.
However, hair was less terrifying than the compensations and damages.
…Just to be sure, I checked my hair at intervals, and thankfully nothing had fallen out. Magic really was godlike.
As I cautiously descended the stairs, barely able to see, I visualized the layout of the underground lab in my mind.
Soon, the root of this incident became clear.
‘That must be it.’
It was obvious it had been a cluttered array of magical devices that had exploded and wreaked havoc.
I remembered approving the funding for Kirke’s research directly. Could it be the ingredient analyzer?
Did something happen while analyzing the components of the hair loss inducing agent? Debris from broken equipment was scattered everywhere in the lab.
That’s what puzzled me even more.
‘Why did it explode?’
Analyzing the ingredients of a hair loss agent? This was part of the research intended for developing a hair loss remedy. This whole operation was just ordering a lot of the agent we typically use in the actual research.
Even if she hadn’t reverted from her grade drop yet, Kirke was a genius and a seasoned mage. It was hard to fathom she made a mistake operating this device.
‘Did she get distracted during the research?’
Even if it was customary for her to exploit the academy’s resources, she was still an academic and a professor. She should know not to get caught up in stray thoughts during operation.
No one forced stray thoughts into her mind, so what could have led to that?
Ultimately, pondering this wouldn’t yield answers. I approached the shadow lying next to the busted analyzer.
Naturally, it was Professor Kirke.
‘Is she unconscious?’
Slap!
‘Yeah, she’s out cold.’
Even after I gave her a light slap on the cheek, she didn’t wake. Since it hadn’t even been five minutes since the explosion, it seemed likely she fainted from the blast’s shock.
Given Kirke’s character, if she had deliberately blown it up, she wouldn’t have fainted like this. Was this — a genuine mistake?
I half-supported Kirke, only to find a handful of her hair had fallen out… Looks like it really was a mistake. Hm.
More importantly, the analyzer posed a problem.
‘Considering the size, it seems like all that hair loss agent is still inside.’
Due to the explosion’s heat, coupled with various magical effects I might not even know, the hair loss agent within was continually evaporating.
Naturally, this wasn’t something I, as a Rank 1, could handle alone.
‘I need to call Chloe down.’
Didn’t I just say that these kinds of tasks should be handled by staff? I had already done my utmost here.
I came down to check things for myself, proved that the protective magic could withstand the agent’s vapor, rescued Kirke, and identified the cause of the incident.
All that was left was to resolve the cause, and given the conditions, this was beyond a Rank 1’s abilities.
With that conclusion in mind, I was about to call for Chloe without hesitation when…
“…Adam.”
“Chloe, student, did you really follow me right away?”
“…Yes.”
Chloe emerged through the green vapor just in time. For some reason, it seemed she was glaring sharply at the Kirke I was supporting.
Unlike before, her demeanor and tone felt a little different now. Didn’t she just refer to me as Adam, not Finance Director?
Of course, asking about that would take time away from resolving the situation, so I quickly pointed at the analyzer.
“Please take care of that.”
“Let me handle it.”
[Chains of Binding]
Oh, I know the Chains of Binding magic. When I had to choose one between Beatrice and Chloe as a companion, everyone in the strategy community suggested Chloe, but I ended up picking Beatrice.
I thought it was just a joke to tease newbies. Turns out, many had recommended Chloe as a companion because of that [Chains of Binding].
So, I figured it was some magic that summoned chains from the ground to bind.
But why would she need to seal it entirely instead of just binding the analyzer… —
Click.
“Huh?”
Clink, clink, clink, clink!!
What the heck? Isn’t this supposed to summon about half a dozen chains? Why are dozens of chains forming a net that completely obscures the analyzer?
Moreover, it’s even binding the vapor itself, which has no form at all. To interfere with concepts through magic, isn’t a Rank 7 required?
“Chloe, student?”
“…Yes?”
“Um… Never mind.”
Well, good things lead to good outcomes. Moreover, who better than Chloe, the mage, to make sense of the magic I had only read about?
More importantly, it was impossible for Chloe to be a Rank 7. If she truly had been a Rank 7 hiding her power as a Rank 5, she would have already turned the Imperial Magic Tower upside down without needing to attend Grandis Academy.
She must have either used a specially reinforced spell or her master’s scroll.
Whatever the method, she had dealt with the cause and saved Kirke.
It was all resolved… except for.
“Now, the problem is this vapor.”
“Should we use purification magic…?”
“If we were able to purify it all, the professors outside wouldn’t have only set up barriers.”
Purification magic was notoriously impractical. To clear the entire research building filled with vapor, they would have needed a grand mage without a doubt. It wasn’t about the mage’s skill or level; it was about the quantity of magic power.
And the question remained: why purify?
“We’ve rescued Professor Kirke, identified the cause, and now it’s time for a more convenient method.”
“A convenient method?”
“We’ll use the Headmistress here.”
Clik.
I immediately pulled out the communication magic tool. I could just call the Headmistress and say, “Make it happen,” and it would be over.
Given her presence, her magic would not only blow the vapor away but could also obliterate it completely.
Now that we confirmed it was safe to do so, all it would take was a single command…
“No.”
“…Chloe, student?”
“You don’t need to contact her…”
Chloe, who had grasped my wrist, gave a cold glare at the magic tool before taking a deep breath.
“Let me handle it…”
“Uh?”
No matter how I looked at it, Chloe wasn’t a true Rank 7, and purifying the entire building’s hair loss inducing agent wasn’t realistically possible for her either.
If that was the case, summoning a church would be much more efficient; so why…
[Purification]
“…Huh?”
[Purification][Purification][Purification]
[Purification][Purification][Purification][Purification][Purification]
Boom!!
A bright light soared from Chloe’s center. It was not a single use but a wave of light from dozens of [Purification] spells.
Purification magic was notoriously inefficient, well-known even to non-mages like myself.
Alongside [Illumination] magic, it was a spell that a mage typically learned but rarely got to properly utilize.
Yet, here she was using it in such volume?
‘Even if she used all her magic power, she wouldn’t purify even a fraction of it, would she?’
Mocking my thoughts, Chloe radiated a surge of magic that even I, being Rank 1, could clearly feel.
She used [Purification] dozens of times and still had the capacity to use dozens more.
Her magic power was incredible, far beyond what one would expect from a Rank 5.
[Purification]
“Haah… haah…”
“Wow.”
How many minutes passed? Just in five minutes, the vapor that had filled the underground lab was thoroughly purified and gone.
Only Chloe, exhausted, myself, and the unfortunately still shedding-haired Kirke remained.
Even the [Chains of Binding] used on the analyzer was still in effect.
“Chloe, student, what on earth…?”
“…”
Are you really Rank 5? You’re not actually hiding your Rank 7 prowess, right?
But if that’s the case, didn’t that mean we didn’t need to enter the research lab at all?
‘…Wait. I should have sealed the analyzer.’
If not, no matter how much Chloe purified, it would continue emitting vapor.
Anyhow, Chloe appeared to be significantly stronger than when she was in the Dark Kingdom.
‘…Well, it’s a bit late to realize that now.’
Weirdly enough, our protagonist didn’t join the academy as a perennial loser but rather at Rank 6, so it’s not entirely surprising.
If the protagonist is Rank 6, it’s only natural that Chloe could be stronger than before.
Still, as Chloe approached me to celebrate her great accomplishment, she suddenly spoke.
“…Help.”
“Yeah?”
“I was… more helpful than the Headmistress… right?”
Did the Headmistress just pop up out of nowhere?
What does it matter either way?
“Of course! You’re amazing, Chloe!”
“So…”
“Student?”
“From now on… rely on me.”
“Student.”
Goodness.
Are you seriously volunteering yourself as help, despite potentially being a Rank 6 or 7 caliber powerhouse?
If I ask if she can do it for free, she might back off, so I’ll stay silent.
‘By the way.’
Magic really is amazing.
While I thought I had gotten used to it, every time I witnessed such scenes, I found myself sighing about my utter lack of talent.
If only I could reach at least Rank 3 or, at the very least, Rank 2, things would be so much better than they currently are.
As someone who considers themselves an adult, relying on help from Chloe or Beatrice is a slight embarrassment.
The concept of being Rank 1 in a world where individual power is clear-cut as in the Dark Kingdom stings quite a bit.
‘Is strength really necessary?’
Should I really seek out the Dark Sword? They say it’s top-tier in terms of performance according to the strategy community.
For the time being, I helped Chloe, who was about to collapse. It seemed like her dozens of [Purification] spells had taken their toll, and she was almost about to faint.
“Thank you for your hard work, Chloe.”
“…Adam.”
No, seriously, why are you calling me by my name?
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