The AI Archmage - Chapter 9

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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AI Archmage Episode 9

– Honestly, it’s true. Altair is an outdated relic who couldn’t keep up with the times, and I, who survived, can truly be called the greatest magical engineer of all time.

This bastard…!

Sion’s lips trembled as he glared at the hologram.

[Indeed, truly a friend of Human.]

Akasha said with admiration.

[To leave teabagging through a hologram. It seems there was good reason for maintaining friendship with Human.]

‘Shut up.’

But getting angry here would make things look strange.

He was Sion Rostery, not Altair.

So he gritted his teeth and decided to quietly endure that nonsense.

Belusian’s hologram continued speaking.

– I don’t know who might come to this place. Though this workshop is kept secret, someone might eventually enter. This message is left for that time.

“…Ah.”

– But in my heart, I hope that the one who notices this workshop’s existence and enters here would be my disciple, Lumia.

“…!”

At those words, Lumia’s eyes wavered.

– Under normal circumstances, I would have told that child about this workshop’s existence, but if I didn’t, it means there was a reason, so please don’t feel hurt.

‘…A reason.’

Unlike Lumia who was moved by those words, Sion listened to Belusian’s words with a stern expression.

‘The fact that he left such a hologram message means he was preparing for a situation where he would suddenly disappear.’

Belusian had secretly collected items that the Academic World had decided to dispose of.

What could that possibly mean?

– The equipment in this workshop is the same ‘Crafting Table’ that my friend Altair used to use.

‘As expected.’

Sion smirked inwardly.

– Altair is truly a nasty fellow, but his knowledge is precious. It’s not something that should be buried at the whim of old men corrupted by greed and selfishness.

Unlike before, his voice was very serious.

– I cannot confirm who discovered this. But my disciple, if you are the one who found this workshop…

Belusian’s message ended with his final words and shut off.

– Please, use it wisely and carefully.

Click.

Lumia stood there dazed, staring at the spot where her master’s hologram had been for a while.

“Lumia…”

When Serentia carefully called out to Lumia, she snapped back to her senses and shook her head.

“Ah, yes, I see. That’s right. A workshop… and even a Crafting Table is here like this.”

“Yes, it’s a great gain.”

Sion nodded and continued speaking.

“With this much, we can say one major problem has been solved. We’ll be able to resolve the ‘supply’ issue that was the biggest problem.”

“Right now… would that be possible?”

“It’s possible.”

Sion spoke with conviction.

After all, the magic tools he would create using this crafting table were already drawn out in his mind.

‘Making grimoires right now would be meaningless. First, I need to make the Blue Tower stronger.’

Grimoires were made for ordinary people, not mages.

But right now, he needed items for mages.

For example, a ‘calculation assistance device’ that would enable the chantless magic Sion had demonstrated in front of everyone before.

[With the materials stored in this workshop and the crafting table, supplying the Blue Tower personnel should be possible, Human.]

‘Yes, that should be the case. It seems he anticipated this to some extent and prepared accordingly.’

At Sion’s words, Lumia asked nervously.

“Th-then what would be good to do? If it’s a crafting table with the same specifications as Altair’s, it should be possible to make absolutely anything…”

“First, we need to approach this strategically.”

“Strategically…”

“Right now, there’s no need to make items that the Council would be wary of. Rather, it would be better to make things they would covet while being unable to accept them.”

That way, those bastards wouldn’t be on guard.

With such thoughts, Sion approached the crafting table.

‘It’s been a while.’

Sion found himself smiling unconsciously as he touched the crafting table.

Though it wasn’t the one he had used in his workshop, being an identically made new product gave him quite a nostalgic feeling.

He activated the crafting table in front of Lumia and Serentia.

Whirr.

Despite being neglected for well over 10 years, the crafting table operated very normally.

“It, it’s working?!”

Lumia stared at Sion with wide eyes.

She couldn’t even get a clue about how to use it, yet he operated it so easily.

‘Wh-what on earth…’

Lumia looked at Sion with trembling eyes, but Sion was looking only at the crafting table with calm eyes.

‘First, shall I try making that?’

After thinking for a moment, Sion recalled what would be most suitable and necessary in the current situation.

For such simple work, there was no need for him to exert his power directly.

The crafting table would handle the synthesis on its own.

Crackle!

Soon, something was created from the crafting table with a light spark.

What was created was…

“This is…”

Lumia tilted her head upon seeing its identity.

“What is it?”

It wasn’t large in size.

Just about the right size to wear on one’s ear.

“It’s a basic communication device.”

“Communication… device? Does it only have the one function of communication?”

“Yes, that would be correct.”

“Uh, hmm…”

At those words, Lumia fell into contemplation with a thoughtful murmur.

How on earth was she supposed to make use of this thing?

Communication was something that could be done through magic as well.

“Communication magic itself isn’t difficult, but it requires continuous calculations, doesn’t it?”

“Th, that’s true.”

“This has the advantage of eliminating that computational burden. Of course, the communication range is short, but if used only within the Blue Tower, it would be very efficient.”

“Ah.”

It was a magic tool with clear disadvantages as much as it had advantages.

But those advantages were perfectly suited for the current Blue Tower.

“With this, we could make students receive education more efficiently.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Lumia realize why Sion had created this magic tool, and she nodded slowly.

“Th, then certainly…”

“Of course, this is merely something made as teaching materials, but it seems we could quickly distribute something like this to the students.”

Lumia agreed with those words.

Certainly, if they had something like this, they could educate students more efficiently.

Meanwhile, Sion fell into different thoughts as he watched this.

‘…At this level, creating and distributing tablets wouldn’t be a difficult task either.’

Tablets.

A magic tool that he had only developed but never announced when he was Altair in the past.

A magic tool in tablet form equipped with various functions.

He hadn’t been able to mass-produce them back then, but this time it might be possible.

Of course, first.

“Let’s examine the workshop a bit more.”

It seemed necessary to check this workshop more thoroughly first.

* * *

“Let’s split up and search. Since the space is larger than expected, that would be more efficient.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Lumia and Serentia also agreed with Sion’s words.

Now alone, Sion looked around while recalling memories from the past.

‘For the most part, it’s not much different from my memories.’

The blueprint of the workshop remained clearly in Sion’s mind.

Even if Belusian had changed some parts, the general framework remained the same.

Among them, what he focused on was a space he had created ‘for fun’ in the design he had originally conceived.

A space that could be thoroughly utilized as Belusian’s private room.

Even if someone somehow managed to enter the workshop itself, the private room was truly known only to Belusian himself or Sion, who was the designer.

Sion found a small scratch on the wall in the corner of the long corridor and rubbed it in a specific pattern.

Then, a screen with arranged numbers appeared before his eyes.

[I’ve confirmed the existence of the private room. Shall I try to find the password?]

“Leave it for now. Let me see if it’s the same as when I designed it.”

And Sion entered the password he had set when he designed it.

Click!

Soon the wall opened, revealing the hidden space.

“It’s the same. Careless bastard.”

[Wasn’t there no need to change it?]

“That’s true too.”

After all, only Belusian himself and Sion, the designer, knew the password, so there was no need to change it.

The interior of the private room he entered wasn’t much different from what he had designed.

Not just the structure, but even the appearance.

Still, there were traces left behind from Belusian’s personal use.

As he smiled bitterly at the traces of his friend and checked if anything had been left behind.

Thud!

The door suddenly closed.

[Human, just now…]

“I know. He redesigned it to close immediately when someone enters. This is Belusian’s intention.”

Sion didn’t panic and waited for a moment with his arms crossed.

Then the same hologram of Belusian that he had seen earlier appeared.

“Hmm.”

What was this wicked friend thinking when he prepared something like this?

Was it to mock intruders who entered his private room without permission, or to praise those who found the existence of the private room?

– Visitor.

Belusian continued speaking in a voice that carried the weight of experience.

– The fact that you found my private room means your insight exceeded my expectations.

“The repertoire seems somewhat similar.”

[No, in cases like this, what to say is usually predetermined.]

“That’s true.”

Sion and Akasha had such a conversation while leisurely watching Belusian say his piece.

Belusian’s words continued.

– Naturally, one who solves a difficult problem should receive a fitting reward.

“Oh, what are you going to give?”

– …However, this could also be a thief who found this place through trickery, couldn’t it?

“…”

It was a strangely infuriating remark, but Sion listened silently.

After all, he knew well that Belusian was that kind of person from the beginning.

‘More than that, that guy seems to be speaking on the premise that his disciple isn’t here.’

Of course, two-way communication wasn’t possible, and since it was just a message, there was no point in analyzing it further.

– As the owner of this room, if you complete the task I give you, I shall grant you a ‘treasure.’

“Oh, treasure.”

At those words, Sion made his decision.

‘Task or whatever, I’ll just roughly smash it up and dismantle it.’

Originally, rules were something only the weak followed.

Besides, that smirking expression was so annoying that he couldn’t bring himself to do as told any longer.

“Akasha.”

[Shall I destroy it?]

“As expected of an invention I made. You understand well. Even so, I can’t bring myself to move according to that guy’s wishes.”

Sion moved along with those words.

And before Belusian’s words could even finish, as Sion reached out his hand, Akasha moved simultaneously.

[Structure detected. Five devices confirmed. Shall I neutralize them all?]

“Do it.”

[Executing.]

At that moment.

Kwaaaaaa!

Akasha used mana to analyze the room’s structure and rendered everything in the room null and void.

Sion watched with his arms crossed as Belusian’s task was dismantled in an instant.

In the end, Belusian’s task couldn’t unfold.

Because it had been reduced to nothing before it could.

Shortly after, Belusian’s hologram disappeared without a trace.

[Confirmed cessation of devices. The hologram itself still exists, but it shouldn’t be able to cause any major problems now.]

Where the hologram had been, a palm-sized wooden box was placed.

“Is this the reward?”

Opening the wooden box wasn’t difficult.

When it came to Magical Engineering, there was no one above him.

Even if they were an Archmage.

And when Sion opened the wooden box and confirmed the treasure’s identity, his eyes widened greatly.

“Oho, this is…”

What was inside the wooden box was a key.

On the surface, it didn’t seem particularly special.

But Sion recognized the key’s true identity.

“A Subspace Key.”

[It’s certainly worthy of being called a treasure. Not just a pouch, but a ‘key’ that can open the highest-grade subspace anywhere…]

As Akasha said, the key in the wooden box was none other than a ‘highest-grade’ subspace Magic Tool.

This thing was worth its value just by existing.

With just this, he could manage the materials needed to make Magic Tools much more efficiently.

“Is this telling me to take everything here?”

Sion realized the meaning and took the key.

After looking around, there was nothing else special in this private room.

At least there was nothing ‘to take with him.’

“Let’s go now.”

[Still, this is your friend’s room. Don’t you want to indulge in some memories?]

“No.”

Sion turned his back with an indifferent expression.

“My memories are enough for that.”

[Indeed.]

Before he knew it, the door to the room was open.

Sion crossed the threshold without hesitation and left the room.

* * *

After Sion left the room, Belusian’s private room was once again shrouded in darkness.

Then.

Wooong.

A faint light rose from where the hologram had been standing.

– Confirming ‘dismantling’ of the assignment.

– Conditions have been met.

And that light soon completed a sentence that Sion had not seen.

– Welcome back.

With that, the light disappeared, and the private room was once again shrouded in darkness.

As if it had been that way from the beginning.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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