She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

ALL THE FOOD ended up in their bellies, and everyone finished their customary end-of-hot-pot udon to top it off. With the hot pot turned off, the party was just getting started. But just as it was starting to get fun, the tower’s communicator rang.

“Mm… What, at a time like this?” The tipsy Mira had been playing with Luna, but now she frowned and glared at the communicator.

Luminaria, who was already drunk, shouted, “Shut uuuup.” Cleos, Lythalia, and Amarette seemed well on their way to wasted as well.

Among them all, Mariana stood straight up and walked with perfect, steady steps toward the communicator. “Yes, this is the Tower of Evocation. Aide Mariana speaking,” she answered.

Solomon’s voice came from the other end of the line. There was an urgent problem. Kagura reported that information had come from Katiella, the demon Wallenstein had purified. It was clearly an emergency, and he wanted Mira and Luminaria to come to the castle at once. He’d explain the details in his office. 

As soon as Solomon hung up, everyone rushed to move out.

“The demon… I have a bad feeling about this,” Mira sighed.

“Aww, I wanted to get a good night’s sleep too…” Luminaria complained as she took out a bottle and gulped down the contents. She then produced another and handed it to Mira.

It was a strong sobering cure. Mira gulped hers down as well.

“Ooh, the effects are immediate.” Her hazy mind cleared up in no time, and the pleasant tipsiness was gone. Mira was back to sobriety. It definitely spoiled the fun of being pleasantly tipsy, though anyone who’d had too many would surely appreciate it. Still, this was an emergency; she couldn’t face it without a clear mind.

Luckily, Luminaria carried these around just for times like this. That, she added with a laugh, was what allowed her to drink with abandon any time she wanted.

***

Mira and Luminaria boarded the wagon together, and the others saw them off as they departed for the castle.

“Ride’s rougher than I expected…” Luminaria looked down, glad she’d sobered up before getting in. If she were still drunk, Mira would’ve witnessed a disaster in her precious wagon in about ten minutes.

“Well, we are in a hurry. It’s normally much smoother.” Given the urgency, Mira had ordered Garuda to make best speed. As such, the ride was shakier than usual. It was a recipe for motion sickness.

Twenty minutes later, they landed in front of the castle and emerged from the wagon, pale-faced. Garuda’s full power was quite a bit faster than they’d anticipated.

Mira managed to thank the worried Garuda and dismissed it. She then turned to Luminaria. “Say… Do you have any anti-nausea medicine?”

“Nope. Just the sobering stuff…” Luminaria never got motion sickness, even in carriages. But Garuda’s merciless flight was a first.

Still, the pair trudged onward. Despite the concern of the castle soldiers they passed on their way, they managed to reach Solomon’s office in one piece.

“Ah… Those two came, as well?” Mira asked, wholly unmotivated due to her nausea.

“Oh. It’s been ages.” Luminaria was no better off; even though she was surprised by the unexpected reunion, her tone of voice remained flat.

Beyond the door were Kagura and Wallenstein. Solomon had mentioned a report from them, but it seemed they’d given it in person rather than long-distance. Something must be terribly wrong.

“What’s gotten into you two…?” Kagura asked.

“Oh, Luminaria, it’s good to see you again. Umm… Are you okay?” Wallenstein sounded worried.

The pair were in awful condition after their tough journey. They tottered over to the couch, plopped down, and lay motionless.

“Bumpy ride…”

“Rough seas are nothing compared to that…”

“No surprise from you, Gramps… But Luminaria, you’re the same as ever, too.” Kagura rolled her eyes, walked over, and held out two small bottles. One had a green label, and the other was blue.

“What are these?” Mira asked.

“Motion sickness medicine. Drink up,” Kagura said. The label colors were different, but it seemed they had the same effect. Kagura’s spirit airship could face turbulence depending on the weather, so she always carried a few on her.

“Oh, thank you, Kagura!” The two put their hands together in prayer, snatched the bottles away, and gulped them down.

“Nnnnrgh! What is this?!” Mira shouted and writhed on the couch. The flavor was incredibly sour, as if someone had distilled a whole barrel of astringent persimmons.

Luminaria looked at Mira in surprise. “Did you poison hers or something?”

“Of course not,” Kagura answered bluntly. But after a pause, she revealed that it was an experimental drug. According to her, it had been developed specifically as a response to the spirit airship’s problems. “As you can see, Mira’s kinda tastes bad. We improved the flavor, which resulted in the one you drank, Luminaria.”

Kagura shrugged. Then, she looked over at the summoner writhing on the couch and declared that she was going to get down to business, with or without her.

Mira glared murderously at Kagura. “Demon. Monster. Kagura.” However, she couldn’t complain too much; despite the awful taste, it had cured her motion sickness.

“Here, Gramps. You can have this.” This time, Kagura held out a bottle of some milky substance—perhaps a palate cleanser.

“And this is?” Mira asked warily. Kagura explained that Johan’s wife Angelique had made it with fruit from the Forest of Seasons. She dubbed it “new four-season au lait.” “Oho, really?” Mira quickly accepted it and took a sip. The wonderful new flavor brought her back to life in an instant.

Once everyone was ready, Wallenstein spread a map across the table and spoke up, “Okay, I’ll begin.”

Come to think of it, Wallenstein used teleportation magic too… Mira remembered as she looked down at the map. Kagura had probably switched places with Tweetsuke to get here, but how had Wallenstein come all the way from Sentopoli? How did his teleportation magic work? Could Mira learn to wield that power?

These questions filled Mira’s mind, but for now, she needed to focus on the emergency at hand.

“This morning, after I finished sealing Katiella’s powers…” Wallenstein launched into his explanation. The issue he described was indeed worthy of this urgent summons.

Katiella was the dark demon who’d infiltrated Sentopoli under the name Felicia. With Mira and Kagura’s help, they’d found her faster than expected and succeeded in sealing her powers. The process had been completed this morning, and Katiella returned to her senses. Upon being questioned, she revealed the location of the duke-level demon and its goals.

The goals? Release the other sealed oni tombs, just like the demon had with the War-Torn Burial Ground.

Despite the destruction of Chimera Clausen and the exorcism of the Oni Princess, the duke-level demon Katiella worked for still had all of their achievements and research results. It planned to use this information to create an organization even more powerful than Chimera Clausen.

“The sealed oni catacomb it plans to open next is not far from here,” Wallenstein added as he pointed at Alcait Kingdom territory on the map.

Katiella had also reported that the Oni Princess had given the demon the method of reviving the oni race, so it would be sure to incorporate this in its future plans.

“Those plans will be executed tomorrow. Preparations are already underway, and it’s abducted people from a nearby village to act as vessels. By tomorrow, they’ll be dead,” Wallenstein concluded. They needed to investigate and deal with the situation swiftly.

“Things are worse than I expected…” Mira mused.

Having a duke-level dark demon so close was already an issue, but even worse was the fact that a piece of Tyriel was dormant in one of those hidden oni coffins. Based on what Kagura had learned from Tyriel, it was normally unthinkable for an angel to be possessed by a vengeful spirit. However, things changed when a dark demon’s power was involved. In other words, the Oni Princess was in fact a being created by the demon itself. It was not unlikely that a second Oni Princess already existed.

What would she do to the kidnapped villagers? There was no doubt that they had to save them as soon as possible.

“So, do we have a strategy?” Luminaria asked.

Solomon nodded, looked at the Wise Men around him, and said, “I think our best strategy will be to hit them with our strongest forces. What do you think, everyone?” In other words, Solomon and the four Wise Men, the greatest force in Alcait, would charge in personally. Simple, but effective.

“Well, we are up against a duke-level demon. I say it’s for the best,” Mira agreed. Duke-level demons had awesome power, but the five people here had defeated such creatures with similar numbers before.

“Yeah, I have to agree. Besides, this squad is well-balanced,” Luminaria said. Adding to their numbers carelessly would just lead to losses, so they preferred to work with just these few elites.

“Duke or not, we’re more than enough for a demon. I think we’ll be fine.” Kagura was sure that they’d win. After all, they had a reliable front-liner in Solomon, and they had plenty of supporting firepower.

“Don’t forget the demon has a divine item in its possession. We can’t be careless.” Wallenstein was the voice of prudence. However, he didn’t say they would lose; real confidence burned in his eyes. After all, dark demons were like incarnations of demonic power. If an exorcist were ever truly in their element, it would be up against demons.

Essentially, Mira, Solomon, Luminaria, and Kagura had no worries. They would investigate the sealed oni catacomb on the outskirts of Alcait and eliminate the enemies therein. 

Once the strategy was decided, Solomon summoned Reynard and Joachim and filled them in. When he finished, their eyes were wide from shock.

“Th-this is…unexpected, to say the least.”

“I’m certainly surprised.”

The demon issue wasn’t what had surprised them, however. It was the woman in Japanese clothes and the young man in the suit. They were the missing Wise Men Kagura and Wallenstein. Their appearance was bigger news than any demon.

“It’s an honor to meet you!” Reynard bowed, overflowing with emotion. He looked like a little boy who’d met his biggest heroes.

“I am Joachim, leader of the Mage Corps. It would be an honor if you remembered my name.” Joachim greeted them with calm humility. But his eyes sparkled, betraying his excitement.

The Nine Wise Men were legendary heroes to the people of Alcait. Kagura and Wallenstein greeted them sheepishly, and Mira fantasized about what would happen if they knew who she really was. She glared at Reynard as she recalled his attitude toward her.

Solomon gave Reynard and Joachim urgent orders: lock down the area around the tomb.

“Roger that.”

“Understood.”

At least with that, the place would be secured until the situation was resolved and a careful investigation completed. That was partially to keep anything nefarious from escaping, but it was also to prevent anyone from approaching. Reynard and Joachim would lead the effort; Suleiman had already organized their teams.

The pair saluted Solomon, bowed to Luminaria, Kagura, and Wallenstein, and left. The group in the study could hear them running away at top speed.

Thinking about the token half-salute she’d gotten from Joachim on his way out, Mira glared unhappily at her fellow Wise Men. 

Gods, how I want them to know the truth!

***

After they left, Solomon stood up and said, “Welp, we’d better hit the road. Everyone ready?”

Their enemy this time was a duke-level dark demon, armed with a divine item, to boot. They would have to fight it with all their power, and that meant preparation was key.

Luminaria smirked. She was always ready. Kagura said she’d been ready since she got here, and Wallenstein added that he was good to go too.

“Ooh, right!” Mira piped up. She opened her Item Box and took out a particular robe. “We’re up against a strong foe this time, so I’d best wear this.”

Mira retrieved the Wise Man’s Robe (Summoner) she’d left in her Item Box for who knows how long. It came with many powerful combat bonuses—it would be no exaggeration to call it the ultimate summoner’s equipment.

However, now that there were replicas of this very same robe sold to children all over the world, she unfortunately looked like a little girl playing pretend when she wore it. This time, however, everyone was a Wise Man. She proudly wore her robe.

“Mira’s giving us fanservice!” Luminaria joked. Wallenstein quickly turned away, and Kagura rolled her eyes.

While Mira struggled and writhed to put it on, Solomon chided, “You’ve got it on backwards!”

“It’s been a while, okay? It’s hard,” Mira snapped as she straightened it. She wiggled around a little more until she was finally finished changing clothes.

***

They needed to get there fast, which meant traveling by air. Thus, they would all five be riding in Mira’s wagon. It would be a little cramped.

As the wagon sped toward their destination, they began a more detailed strategy meeting. The five of them put their heads together and simulated various strategies revolving around the duke-level demon, a possible Oni Princess, and any other irregularities.

“Now, let’s hash out all the variations we can think of…” Solomon said.

The Wise Men always did their best to be flexible, but it was their custom to discuss strategy before any battle in order to devise a general plan and be ready for anything that hit them. They had been the source of countless legends as a group of ten, not just because of their extraordinary power but because of their perfect teamwork.

“First, with Eizenfald—” Mira argued.

“Don’t be stupid,” Luminaria rebutted. “I’ll use my new magic—”

“If the Oni Princess is there, let me handle her,” Kagura said. “You all can—”

“Umm, if possible, I’d like to be able to seal the duke—” Wallenstein chimed in, trying to get a word in edgewise.

The four Wise Men were all over the place. They needed a single person to bring them together…and there was only one man who could do that.

“Okay, everyone, I hear you. Let’s do this—”

The legends of the Nine Wise Men were built on the foundation of this central figure—Solomon. That was why the Kingdom of Alcait, despite being small, was famous in the world of mages.

Their strategy meeting lasted about ten minutes. Just when they’d settled on a plan, the wagon landed. On Wallenstein’s suggestion, Garuda had set them down halfway up a mountain, surrounded by forest.

The group alighted, and a little girl appeared from between the trees and ran over to them.

“You’re finally here!” Liliella shouted as she approached Wallenstein. “The preliminary investigation is done.” Then, she turned to the others and bowed politely.

“Erm, this is my friend, Liliella.” Wallenstein introduced her and explained that she was a light demon who’d had her abilities sealed and returned to her senses. He asked her to report the results of her investigation to everyone.

“There’s a hole going deep into this mountain,” she replied.

Wallenstein’s comrades had been investigating the sealed oni tomb while they waited for him to arrive. They were certain that the duke was inside. And, as they’d feared, the team discovered what they believed to be an Oni Princess, alongside many lesser demons. What’s more, ten of the abducted villagers had been gathered in one place.

Liliella wrapped up her report. “We expect the experiment to begin any minute now.”

“We were right to hurry,” Wallenstein replied. “Thanks for the report, Liliella. Meet up with the others and help the knights who come after us.”

He had already filled his comrades in about Reynard and Joachim’s units. That was the first time Wallenstein’s people had met anyone from Alcait, and Solomon hoped that it would be a good first step toward welcoming them into the country. Even in emergencies, he never neglected to think of the future; that was Solomon’s way of doing things.

“Okay. You be careful too, Wally,” Liliella replied. She gazed at Wallenstein for a moment, then ran off to rejoin her companions.

Luminaria had plenty of experience with women, and that last parting glance told her everything she needed to know. She smirked and put a hand on Wallenstein’s shoulder. “I think I get the vibe here…”

“Excuse me? Vibe?” he asked, confused. Luminaria didn’t elaborate.

***

Liliella’s report had given them a general understanding of the situation inside the oni tomb. Mira and the others modified their strategies accordingly, then entered the hole in the mountain.

The tunnel, which was clearly no natural feature of the mountain, bored deep underground. With their way illuminated by the light of Ethereal Arts, Mira’s group descended until their destination finally came into view: an area blanketed in darkness, where the narrow rock walls suddenly stopped and opened up.

Mira had seen this same thing at the War-Torn Burial Ground. Up ahead was the beginning of the catacomb. They didn’t know who might be waiting for them, or where, so they stepped carefully.

“So many of them…” Mira muttered as she searched with her Biometric Scan.

While the entrance might have been different, the interior layout was identical to that of the War-Torn Burial Ground. There was no danger of getting lost. However, the state of the inside was quite different: the small rooms and corridors alike were bursting with oni skeletons.

“We’ll definitely have to purify this later…” Kagura sighed unhappily.

If the War-Torn Burial Ground was also like this when the demon found it, just how much black mist ore had Chimera Clausen mined? And every ounce of it had been used to harm spirits—rage simmered in Kagura’s stomach just thinking about it.

They could purify it now if they had the time, but saving the villagers was their first priority. If they purified the curse first, they could potentially weaken the Oni Princess. However, doing so would notify the demon of their presence, possibly leading it to use the villagers as living shields. Worse, it might begin its plan early and try to turn the captive humans into oni vessels right away.

The villagers were their countrymen, and they had agreed ahead of time that they’d prioritize saving them. They could work out the question of purification later.