“What in the world is this…?”
As soon as Aslan’s presentation ended, copies of his thesis were distributed to all attendees.
The scholars who carefully examined the paper gradually had their expressions turn more serious.
A widespread anti-mana vacuum.
And the phenomena that appear in response to it.
In the past, it would have been dismissed as complete nonsense, unworthy of serious reading.
The largest known chunk of Neomium could only create a mana vacuum the size of a fist.
And yet, this thesis claimed to have implemented a mana vacuum spanning tens or even hundreds of cubic meters?
It seemed like a ridiculous experiment not even worth reviewing.
However, the scholars, who had just moments ago physically experienced the total disappearance of mana throughout the entire conference hall, could no longer dismiss it as fiction.
“Then, does that mean the thermal mass created by nuclear fission yesterday was eliminated…?”
“Yes. By inducing an anti-mana state, we erased the very mana that would have triggered the chain reaction of nuclear fission.”
“Hahhh…”
The scholars let out gasps of astonishment.
Then, as if losing interest in the thesis itself, they began placing their copies down one by one on the desks.
Instead, they all rushed toward the stage en masse.
Seeing the intensity in their gazes, Aslan swallowed hard.
“Is this anti-mana ability something you were born with, or was it acquired later?”
“If you obtained it later, how did you do it?”
“What are the limitations on the activation range of this ability?”
“Have you established a standardized measurement unit for anti-mana output? What is the maximum output?”
“It seems that the anti-mana field can expand faster than an Archmage can deploy their magic. How about a duel to test it out?”
“Ah! I’m an Archmage, by the way!”
“So am I!”
“…”
A barrage of questions rained down without giving him a moment to respond, making Aslan feel dizzy.
He had expected the scholars’ questions to be difficult, as they usually were.
But this was a different kind of difficulty altogether.
He had braced himself for skepticism and criticism of his thesis, anticipating challenges to his research.
Yet these people weren’t even interested in the content of his paper—they only cared about his ability.
To them, his anti-mana power wasn’t just a tool for his Black Magic research.
Now, they were outright pressuring him to duel an Archmage.
Overwhelmed by their unexpected and intense reactions, Aslan felt cold sweat trickle down his back as he took a step backward.
“I will take questions regarding the content of the thesis first.”
“Oh, that’s unnecessary. We assume it’s correct. You wouldn’t have gone through all this effort just to commit fraud, after all.”
“Anti-mana? A new paradigm? Sure, it’s fascinating. But what I really want to know is how you actually use Black Magic.”
“…”
Are these people really scholars?
Aslan was at a loss for words, completely dumbfounded.
.
.
.
“Haah…”
“You’ve worked hard, Lord. It was a brilliant presentation. The response was enthusiastic.”
“It was enthusiastic in a very different way than I expected…”
“Still, it’s far better than being ignored, don’t you think?”
As I stepped down from the stage, I couldn’t suppress the deep sigh escaping from within me.
Originally, I had no plans to demonstrate my skill, Black Magic, during the presentation.
My intention was simply to calmly explain the contents of the thesis, present my experimental data, and step down.
However, the unexpected level of attention made me greedy for impact, and before I knew it…
“With this, the Vermont family has now publicly revealed that we possess the power to nullify all magic.”
“Indeed.”
Of course, this academic conference had already achieved great success simply by announcing the practical power of Black Magic.
Not only conventional magic, but also barriers, curses, and even spirits—
Anything composed of mana could now be rendered powerless.
In other words, in a world where mages are treated as strategic weapons, a Black Mage is the ultimate asymmetric force.
Even without further explanation, the usefulness and importance of Black Mages would soon spread across the world.
“The demand for Neomium ore will also skyrocket.”
“Oh! Then Neomium will finally start trading actively…!”
Soon, various factions would attempt to cultivate Black Mages.
And the essential ingredient in creating one was Neomium ore.
Fortunately, I had already secured a monopoly on all Neomium mines.
By placing a heavy premium on Neomium and selling it strategically, I could amass an enormous fortune.
“Not to mention, absorbing Neomium doesn’t guarantee compatibility with Black Magic. People with the right aptitude are rare. So until they find a compatible candidate, they’ll have to keep buying more Neomium, over and over again. It’s essentially a gacha system.”
“A… gacha system?”
“Think of it as a random draw. If they get an incompatible person, all the money they invested is wasted.”
“Ah…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is feverishly taking notes, deeply impressed by your wickedly ingenious idea!]
Of course, I had no intention of irresponsibly selling Neomium without caution.
Neomium ore came with a well-known drawback—
It attracts Evil Gods.
That’s something that must be made explicitly clear, with strict warnings attached.
For people like Irene or myself, who can perceive Evil Gods, adapting to Neomium wouldn’t be much of an issue.
However, those unable to sense their presence would eventually anger an Evil God and meet a gruesome fate.
Thus, before selling Neomium on a large scale, it would be essential to establish a proper screening process for users.
‘First, I’ll release a limited supply and monitor how Black Mages and Evil Gods coexist. That will determine the next step.’
Of course, even if such procedures were introduced, the distribution of Neomium would have to be handled with extreme caution.
So far, the revealed Evil Gods—Kali and Laura—had not been particularly harmful to humans.
But there was no telling what kind of Evil Gods would appear in the future.
For now, with only Kali and Laura as samples, it would be premature to make any broad generalizations.
However, if other Evil Gods turned out to have similar tendencies, then there would likely be no major issues in coexisting with humans.
If that proved to be the case, it might even be worth striving for a one household, one Evil God policy.
After all, the presence of an Evil God could enrich and bring fulfillment to people’s lives.
“Fufu. I enjoyed your presentation, Aslan.”
“…?”
A familiar voice rang out from behind me.
Turning around, I saw Irene stepping forward with a playful smile.
Wait, this was a restricted area. How did she even get in here…?
“How did you get in?”
“I have my ways. I’m busy fighting to protect your life, so there’s nowhere I can’t go, right?”
Well, that made sense.
For someone like Irene, sneaking into an academic conference was probably nothing.
She must have been keeping an eye on me from the shadows all along.
Now that I thought about it, Irene had also been the one who protected my thesis from the assassins sent by Sephiroth.
Her protection had been flawless.
If Sylvia was known for her impenetrable defense, then Irene excelled in intelligence and espionage.
“Let me say this again. I went through a lot of trouble running around to protect you, got it?”
“…?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ strongly demands that you pat Irene’s head as a reward for her hard work!]
Irene glanced at me, gauging my reaction as she repeated the same words.
Wait a second…
Was she… actually asking to be praised?
I hesitated for a moment, caught off guard by her unusual behavior.
But before long, I made up my mind and reached out, placing my hand on Irene’s head.
As soon as I did, she subtly leaned into my touch, as if drawn by some unseen force.
“You did well, too, Irene.”
“…Mhm.”
“Thanks to you, I was able to present without any worries.”
“Mhm, mhm…”
Rustle, Rustle.
I gently ran my fingers through her hair, and Irene’s head swayed along with my movements.
She let out small, satisfied hums, completely indulging in the moment.
“Hmm… A little more… softer… Uh… Aah… H-Hng!?”
Suddenly, as if realizing something was off, she let out a strange yelp and took a step back.
The relaxed, puppy-like smile she had just a moment ago vanished in an instant.
Now, her face was burning red, filled with embarrassment.
“Y-You crazy bastard! Why are you treating me like a kid?!”
“I mean… you kind of seemed to want it…”
“I wanted it? Getting my head patted? Huh? Ha! Unbelievable! That’s absurd! Have you been spending so much time with kids that now you think everyone is a child? Is that it?”
“…”
“I’m busy! I’m leaving!”
She fanned her face furiously as she spouted out excuses,
then, in an awkward, creaky motion, she stumbled backward—
before turning and dashing away at full speed.
Watching her flee, I became certain of one thing.
Irene absolutely—no, ridiculously—enjoyed getting her head patted.
