The Second Strongest Has Returned

Chapter 41

Magic Tower

“…Phew… I barely managed to turn it down…”

The Black Tower Master kept insisting on a slave contract disguised as a graduate student agreement. With so many people around, it had taken a good couple of hours just to refuse.

[You did the right thing. Look at that. That’s not something a human should endure.]

Just as the Sage had said, the graduate school slave in front of them was no different from an undead bound by a contract with a necromancer.

If anything, it was less pitiful to be undead since they didn’t even feel pain.

“…Still… it’s a relief… You’re still young… You can think about graduate school later…”

At this level, she was no different from a saint.

If it had been the Sage or himself, they would have tried to drag someone else down with them, like a drowning person clinging to another.

“…But, Ameri, why did you become a graduate student?”

Quietly, and naturally, he asked the question that had piqued his curiosity.

Why would someone go through all of this just to be a graduate student? It was something he couldn’t help but wonder about, as a fellow being with a conscience.

“Because I find magic fun. Hehe… It’s still fun even now… And I thought it would be nice to get a degree later…”

Her reason was certainly admirable, worthy of praise, yet somehow, it only made her seem even more pitiable.

It was a conundrum that everyone knew but couldn’t quite solve.

“I heard it takes a long time to graduate from graduate school…”

“It’s okay…! Half-elves live long, you know…!”

Her reason was understandable, but it was still so depressing.

[…Should we consider this a bright future for magic?]

It was better for everyone to think positively. With her saying she was fine, worrying from the sidelines would only be a nuisance.

“Then I’ll be going now…! I have to prepare for an assignment…”

“…Yes, go ahead.”

[She won’t die, right?]

Both the Sage and Leonardo silently offered their condolences to the degree-bound slave.

May she one day find peace.

[By the way, where’s Aria?]

<…Ah, I’m late.>

He had meant to just drop off the wallet, but ended up skipping the lecture and even getting approval for intermediate magic.

At least three hours must have passed.

[…She’s going to be really mad, isn’t she?]

<…I suppose so… most likely…>

[When you get there, grovel. That’s the only way out.]

As befitted a Sage, he provided a wise answer. It seemed his wisdom had increased, having returned to his hometown, the Magic Tower.

“…Miss Aria…?”

Entering the library, Leo quietly called her name as he approached where she was sitting. He intended to gauge the level of her anger based on her reaction.

“….”

Aria didn’t respond. She simply continued to turn the pages of her book in silence. But judging by the redness of her ears and cheeks, it was clear.

[…She seems really pissed off, doesn’t she?]

<…Yes… Very much…>

Leo cautiously approached Aria, steeling himself for what might come.

“…Aria, I…”

“I wasn’t thinking anything!!”

A sudden outburst.

Everyone in the library turned to look at Aria in surprise.

“…Uh… What’s wrong…?”

Even Leonardo was taken aback by the outburst, hesitating slightly as he looked at her.

“…Uh… Uh…!? Th-That’s… Well…”

She glanced nervously between Leo and the book before hastily closing and flipping it over.

“Well, I was just so focused on the book that it startled me… Haha…”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but there were too many suspicious details to fully believe it.

“Were you really that focused on the book? What kind of book was it?”

“Th-That’s…”

She tried to cover the book with one hand as sweat started to form on her forehead. Then, she suddenly remembered the note she had in her pocket.

“Ah…! Now that I think about it, didn’t Mr. Anus ask me to deliver a note to someone?!”

“Uh? Yes, I think so, but…”

“Let’s go quickly! Hurry!!”

In an uncharacteristic burst of excitement, Ariasphil grabbed Leonardo and dashed out. Given her usual demeanor, her behavior was clearly suspicious.

<…Why is she acting like this? It’s not like her.>

[Indeed. Did she sneak in some smut to read?]

<…You call that a guess? Do you think there’s any smut in the Magic Tower’s library?>

The Sage’s speculation was surprisingly close to the truth, but Leonardo’s point was also valid. The Sage, unsure himself, just tilted his head in confusion.

[…That may be, but the look on her face is just like yours when you wet the bed…]

The Sage clicked his tongue, but Leonardo knew better than to take the voyeuristic old man’s words seriously.

“Then I’ll ask her to guide us to an appropriate place to rest.”

“…A place to rest…?!”

Suddenly, Ariasphil looked at Leonardo’s waistband in shock. Startled by her strange gaze, Leo continued speaking, albeit a bit flustered.

“…I meant that the Magic Tower probably has spare dorms. I was asking if you could guide us there… Unless you’re uncomfortable with that?”

“N-No… I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t sure what kind of misunderstanding she had, but since she apologized, he decided not to press the issue.

[Isn’t she really reading smut?]

[But why did she look at your crotch? Isn’t it obvious that she was staring there?]

Leonardo rolled his eyes in frustration at the Sage’s pathetic suggestion. But for some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his own gaze was drifting in that direction as well.

It was probably just his imagination. Probably.

***

The rooms in the Magic Tower were individual, so Aria was assigned a room in the women’s dormitory and Leonardo in the men’s dormitory.

Aria seemed a bit disappointed, but since it was the Magic Tower’s rule, she followed the instructions without complaint.

[So, what are you going to do now?]

The Sage asked as he looked at Leo lying on the bed. Leonardo stretched his tired body and replied.

Since the Magic Tower’s resources and research were undoubtedly superior to what Rios could teach, no one would suspect anything.

[So, are you planning to catch all of them in those three weeks?]

He didn’t intend to capture them all. He was just willing to keep an eye on them as a precautionary measure.

Though he had no evidence against them, their past crimes were etched clearly in Leo’s mind.

[Are you sure about this? From what I read, some of them have committed mass murders.]

The Sage’s words held truth; for the sake of safety, it might be better to kill those types.

However,

Leo didn’t want to cross that line.

[That’s pretty irresponsible.]

[Fine, “minimally responsible small-minded person.”]

Admiring his own wordplay, Leo got up from the bed.

[Get started? How are you planning to do that?]

Leonardo gently touched the bracelet that had once been a black stone as he stepped out of the dormitory and walked down the corridor.

[Do you really think it’ll be that easy? The Magic Tower was heavily guarded even in my time. If anything, it’s probably gotten more advanced, not less.]

The Sage’s point was surprisingly accurate. Although the Magic Tower appeared open on the surface, it was actually a deeply corrupt organization that did everything it could to hide its dirty secrets.

Personal corruption and heinous acts were just the tip of the iceberg.

[Even if you’re good at sneaking around, I doubt you can get past the magical security systems. Is there something I don’t know about?]

The Magic Tower had its surveillance crystals, alarm-triggering spirits, and meticulous scumbags who likely set up special locks or secret rooms to hide their wrongdoings.

No matter how skilled Leonardo was, it would be impossible to break through all that security and solve the problem on his own.

[So what’s your plan? Are you going to try and trick them into letting you in?]

Leonardo looked at the wise ghost beside him.

So far, no human, spirit, monster, or even wizard or spiritist had ever noticed the ghost’s presence.

Moreover, being a ghost, the Sage could pass through or see through any object, and with his vast magical knowledge, he was highly capable of identifying relevant objects.

In other words,

If the Sage went in, it would be the perfect crime—completely undetectable.

[…You’re right.]

<…Did you just realize that?>

[Hey, that’s actually a good thing. You know, if I wanted to, I could totally exploit this power for evil, right?]

Although the Sage’s words seemed to veer off in a strange direction, Leonardo nodded, acknowledging his usefulness.

[But okay, even if I go in and check things out… how are you going to get the evidence out? Even I can’t do that.]

What mattered most was whether evidence existed. While finding out where it was hidden was important, confirming the reliability of his information was equally critical.

At the top of Leonardo’s list was:

[Jeffrey Fednian]

The child predator who had harassed Ariasphil.

***

[…Hey… can we take a break now…?]

[You’ve been saying that for the past four hours, ten times over!!]

As the Sage had noted, Leonardo had spent six hours straight through the night, tirelessly moving between various rooms and locations. If he had just been wandering around, the Sage wouldn’t have been so annoyed, but meticulously inspecting every wall, floor, and ceiling in the designated rooms was more exhausting than it seemed.

[Hey… You didn’t see what I saw. Earlier, there were rats on the floor, centipedes on the ceiling, and cockroaches crawling on the walls—witnessing the miracle of life in real-time. Did you see that? Did you?!]

It had been more than two years, but the trauma of that experience would forever be etched in Leo’s memory.

[That was an act of service. A charitable deed.]

<……>

[Okay, okay, I admit, that was a stretch.]

At least he was quick to acknowledge it this time.

[Yeah, let’s get moving. Bastards like that deserve to be taken down, especially one who has a wife 25 years younger than him.]

Though the Sage’s reasoning was somewhat crude, their ultimate goal and intentions aligned, so Leonardo nodded and began to lead the way.

“Excuse me…”

Someone called out to Leonardo cautiously. The voice made him tense up a bit, but he responded as calmly as he could to keep things natural.

“Yes? Who’s… Ah, shit!!”

Swearing directly to someone’s face was undeniably rude. Anyone would agree it was impolite.

But to be fair, there was a reason.

[…It’s that graduate school slave from earlier. I nearly jumped out of my skin thinking she was undead…]

The person in front of him had hollow eyes, shadowed by a gaunt expression, and she stared at Leo with a vacant gaze. In the dark corridor, her face lit only by a lamp, she looked even more unsettling.

“…Haha… I’m sorry… I must have startled you, calling out so suddenly… I apologize…”

“N-No, it’s fine. I was just startled too… I’m sorry for shouting.”

She scratched her brittle hair and gave a hollow laugh. Honestly, Leo felt a bit relieved, though now he was worried for entirely different reasons.

“…But why did you call me…?”

To be honest, he had no idea why she had called out to him. He had tried to be as discreet as possible…

“…Ah, well, I thought I might know what Leonardo-kun is looking for… It seems like we’re searching for the same thing…”

This was unexpected.

He hadn’t anticipated that there would be someone else in the Magic Tower aware of its corruption—especially someone like Ameri, who seemed so frail.

“You’re looking for the Sage’s relics in the Magic Tower, aren’t you? Right?!”

For the first time, Ameri’s eyes sparkled with a clear, unwavering gaze. In this moment, she truly looked alive.

Leonardo discreetly glanced over at the Sage, the very owner of those supposed relics.

[…Did I leave something like that behind…? Getting old must be messing with my memory…]

It was at this moment that Leo realized how wise it had been to keep the Sage’s existence hidden.

If Ameri found out, this once-devoted magician would likely fall into the depths of dark magic immediately.