Running straight in one direction, one cannot escape the infinite alleyways.
Whether upwards or downwards, one must find stairs leading to a different floor.
At first, Shien, who was being dragged along without understanding the situation, soon began to lead the way, searching for the path ahead.
As she was familiar with the structure of the Magic Tower, her steps were confident without any hesitation, but soon obstacles arose.
“Over there!”
“Catch the curse mage!”
After receiving the report, magicians belonging to the security forces arrived to surround us.
The moment their presence drew near, I extinguished all the gas lamps in the vicinity with ‘Invisible Light’.
Thanks to Vina’s lessons, the extreme magic, which I had become quite accustomed to, quickly shrouded the alley in darkness.
The advantage of fixing contradictory phenomena with the perception of a spellcaster caused confusion even for experienced magicians.
“Quickly, relight the fires!”
“What? The gas lamps are still working, though?”
“Then use any light magic! What if Lusria can’t even do this?”
“I’m already using it! But it’s still not visible!”
While taking advantage of the chaos to escape the encirclement, we were soon pursued again.
Experienced magicians quickly closed the distance even in the darkness.
I narrowed my eyes and held Shien, who was striving to identify signs leading to the exit, and said,
“I’ll find the way, you handle them.”
“You? Can you do it?”
“You, of all people, can you use magic against security? If you can’t, I’ll do it.”
“I-if we get caught, it won’t just end with a simple disciplinary action.”
I have no experience with attack magic.
However, I had no confidence in evading them without counterattack.
While pondering whether to pull out the gas lamps around us instead of a spear, Shien, who was hesitating, drew her sword.
“Well, you know, last time, they tried to pass the blame onto us at the Round Table? So… ”
“…”
She’s talking about the incident in the Dark Forest.
As she prepared magic towards the pursuing squad, her lips moved quietly without making a sound.
It was the characteristic of the Intelligence Department, ‘Concealed Utterance’.
In the corner of the narrow alleyway, intertwined with darkness and silence, as soon as they turned their bodies, her magic unfolded.
The leading magicians tried to retreat hastily, but it was already too late.
“…From the earth to the sky, and vice versa, I receive the power above and below everything.”
“Wait, that’s…! It’s not a curse! It’s alchemy!”
“What!? Damn it, scatter for now!!”
“Where to… Aaargh!”
The Covenant of the Sages.
The verse of absolute truth consisting of 14 clauses was a Mystery that only the Alchemy School could handle.
As Shien’s thin sword danced in the air, the walls and floors around us were completely reversed.
While the pursuing squad was swept away by the unexpected attack, I also began to search for the exit through the Witch Note.
The part where the IPs displayed on the map were not arranged in order was a crevice in dimensions hidden by magic.
Among them, there was a place where the same IP was continuously confirmed, unlike the adjacent sections with constantly changing coordinates.
“I found it, it’s this way.”
I was convinced that this place, connected to the pillars of the tower and serving as the central axis, was the exit, so I flew my body straight under the wooden barricade.
It was clear that she would follow me soon, as she was as good at reading situations.
However, when the darkness lifted, where I stood was not stairs but a small hiding place.
Checking with the Witch Note, I could see that Shien had gone down the right path, while I had moved to a different location.
“I don’t want to bring the Intelligence Department’s dog here.”
The person who spoke behind me instead of Shien was a magician wearing a robe with a hat pulled deep.
“The Haeju School is not a date course for people like you…!”
Although it was clear that she was a woman judging by her physique, her voice trembled as if it was difficult for her to speak to others.
*
I do not judge people solely by appearances.
There are those like Shien who are clean inside out, while there are strange people who feel inferiority even in an ice dispenser despite appearing fine on the outside.
While there is no way to know everyone’s inner thoughts, if the magician in front of me possesses a Witch Note, some inference is possible.
Especially since I could see what kind of posts the person usually writes by checking the accounts logged in from the current IP.
====
ID: Prinana
Post: 27473
Comment: 143485
Written Post List:
[List of Gonick not logged in from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. during the last festival]
[I failed. I wasn’t selected this time. What’s that trick? I want to kill you]
[Those so-called brats have no brain]
[I want to be beaten by the Administrator]
.
.
.
====
====
Prinana
[There are still idiots who underestimate the Haeju School]
With the word ‘curse’ in the name,
How long do you think people like you will last in a magical world with rules and judgments?
The moment your opponent, who you thought was fighting fairly, takes a voodoo doll out of his pocket.
That’s when the terror of the Haeju School begins.
— Curse school wow
— There’s no way to beat this
— Ah, don’t just curse when it’s disadvantageous lol
ㄴ That’s why the security is after them, seriously lol
— They’re gonna go crazy for real lol
====
“Ahem.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
The user seemed to be very active despite the outward appearance.
Although it was a bit ambiguous to judge whether she was malicious or not, she certainly seemed to belong to the Haeju School.
As I hesitated whether to take the lead because she seemed reluctant to speak first, a faint voice was heard.
It came from her, who had fixed her gaze on the Witch Note while walking ahead.
“…Prina.”
“It’s Clark.”
“Y-You’re a newcomer? Why?”
“Why did I choose the Haeju School?”
In society, the perception of the Haeju School is so negative, almost bordering on criminal organization level, but I have a somewhat different opinion.
To me, the remaining magicians are the ones farthest from curses.
Even Prina, who seems to have communication difficulties and social maladjustments, seemed to welcome me.
I decided to write off the posts I saw on the forum earlier as just jokes.
“The fastest way up the Tower is through here. At least for me.”
“…”
My straightforward answer made Prina’s hidden eyes flicker for a moment.
Our eyes met briefly and she quickly looked away.
“Wait here.”
Prina reached the end of the corridor, closed the door, then reopened it shortly after, inviting me inside.
Once again, the coordinates had changed, and when I raised my head, a handsome man with a refined stature was smiling at me.
“Sit here, my name is Rupert. I am currently serving as the head of the Haeju School in place of Agnes, who is absent.”
“I’m Clark. Rupert…”
My words trailed off when I noticed the brooch on his chest – the emblem of the now-destroyed Kingdom.
To think that a noble of such stature belonged to the Haeju School was quite surprising.
He noticed my gaze and smiled wryly.
“You’re a noble? And of Chesseword’s no less.”
“Huh, it’s quite impressive that you recognize it, given that it’s from a country almost on the opposite side of the continent. Feel free to address me casually; after all, within the Tower, a magician’s lineage is more respected.”
“Then I’ll just use the honorific.”
“Refreshing choice. Well, I should get straight to the point. Do you really want to join the Haeju School?”
“Yes. The Mystery of the Haeju School suits me best, I’ve been told.”
“Did you hear that from the reception desk?”
“From someone I know.”
It was something Agnes had repeated to me over the five years she visited the supervisor office. I somewhat anticipated this.
With no talent and entering the Tower late, the Mysteries of conventional schools wouldn’t suit me.
“Um… Curse Names enhances power based on the accomplishments and notoriety of the caster.”
Curse Names – a unique mystique exclusive to the Aitar Branch, founded by Agnes herself.
According to her explanation, there was a formal name, but it was so mispronounced that everyone, even high-ranking Haeju magicians like Rupert, called it that way.
“However, at a certain level, it’s practically useless, and above all, it’s quite dependent on relativity. Did your name gain some recognition outside?”
“It had a tiny bit of notoriety.”
“If you’re not confident, starting over might be a good option. You know, magicians aren’t interested in what happens outside the Magic Tower.”
Curse Names are famously difficult to utilize among all Mysteries.
For example, if I was ‘Mountain Burner’, the moment the person in front of me doesn’t know about me, no matter how hard I try, I can’t use Mystery.
The effectiveness varies greatly depending on the opponent’s perception.
That’s one of the reasons why the Haeju School isn’t popular, and why Curse Magicians are eager to spread their names.
‘Am I inadequate?’
Originally, I thought of using the alias everyone called me during my adventurer days, but Rupert’s advice hit close to home.
After all, what do the magicians in the Magic Tower know about the retired adventurers?
‘Memory’ is separate from ‘Recognition’, so explaining who I am to others wasn’t essential.
It was all about how deeply my existence was ingrained in their minds.
Rather, the moment it was said out loud, the awe or fear of the unknown diminished and its power would be halved.
That’s why Curse Magicians either hid their Curse Names or subtly revealed them.
“Hah, if you have nothing else to do, why not use your forum nickname?”
Prina, who was sitting on a rocking chair in a corner of the room, writing in her Witch Note, suddenly said to me.
Rupert, who heard that, explained with a bitter tone.
“Oh, it’s a trend among young magicians these days.”
“Forum?”
“Don’t each Witch Note have individual names attached? Gaining fame through that is quite beneficial within the Magic Tower at least. There are hardly any magicians here who don’t participate on the forum.”
“…”
No wonder there are more wicked ones as time goes by. This place was the breeding ground for them.
I decided to permanently ban this IP later, and I looked at the paper and pen on the table.
“If you’ve decided, write it down and throw it into that fireplace.”
“Is that all?”
“The size of the flames indicates the power. Originally, the curse grows from embers, so don’t worry if it’s too small.”
What should I use?
After much consideration, I picked up the pen and wrote two characters.
Folding it twice, I threw it into the flames, feeling relieved as if I had finally accomplished something that had been put off for a long time.
“Congratulations. Now you’re officially…”
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang—!!!
Before Rupert could finish his sentence, the fireplace exploded.
The flames rose up the wall, engulfing the entire room, as if they hadn’t finished yet, boiling furiously.
“…!!”
“W-What the…!?”
This time, I avoided Prina’s gaze, who fell off the rocking chair.
The Curse Name I chose was ‘Administrator‘.
