A magical apparatus displayed objects suspended in the air. A group of the academy's Mages had gathered before the Jet-Black Staff set upon it.
Mages broadly fell into two types. Those who pursued their research in seclusion, driven by the goal of establishing magic theory, and those who could care less about theory and simply wanted to master magic and wield its power.
The majority were the latter — Magicians. The Mages serving the Knights or Treasure Hunter guilds were prime examples.
And yet, most of the Mages who lingered at the academy for the long haul were the former type.
Having caught wind of the new research material Lucia had brought in, the assembled Mages observed the staff and whispered among themselves.
"Ohh... so this is the Sword Saint's secret treasure... A staff I've never seen before."
"Thorne Lowell supposedly traveled the world on warrior pilgrimages and conquered numerous Treasure Halls. If we could confirm where he obtained it, its abilities might—"
"A plant-based magic staff? But this color, this shape—"
"That stiff-necked Sword Saint kept it close at hand all this time, and she just snatched it away? Truly the brother of the Boundless—"
Lucia stood with arms crossed, eyes gleaming, as one of the gathered Mages — a middle-aged woman — grumbled.
"But checking it without touching it... Should we use gloves or something?"
"Don't! We don't know what might happen, so don't do anything unnecessary!"
The reason so many research-obsessed Mages had gathered and yet no one had touched the staff was that Lucia had blown away every single person who'd tried.
Research Mages were inferior when it came to practical skills. Having absorbed Mana Material in abundance day after day and grown accustomed to the troubles Party members caused, Lucia left virtually no openings for anyone to exploit.
After confirming that no more troublemakers remained, Lucia turned her sharp gaze on Anna.
"Anna? How is this 'storage'!?"
"A-ha-ha-ha! Can't be helped, right? The Sword Saint's secret treasure — you think the Mages in this tower wouldn't come running when they heard? Treasure Weapon staves hardly ever make it here, you know."
A Treasure Weapon staff was both invaluable research material and a powerful weapon. And most of those found in Treasure Halls almost never reached the academy due to financial issues.
That a new Treasure Weapon staff had been brought in was big enough news to draw Mages from every other laboratory.
"Besides, if you hid it, even more people would come snooping. Isn't it more reassuring to keep watch together like this until the professor gets back?"
"Well... I suppose that's true, but..."
Never underestimate researchers captivated not by the great power of magic but by its theory. They poured passion into their own research while constantly keeping tabs on their peers'. In an academy that prided itself on mutual competition, any act was permissible in the name of research. Laws were only half-functional. They'd break into locked rooms without a second thought, and some even conducted human experiments on their own lab mates. Controlling all of it was next to impossible.
"Especially you, Lucia — being a Hunter, you draw everyone's attention. And you've got that famous Treasure Weapon-collecting brother to brag about—"
"Mmm..."
It seemed Lucia wasn't particularly good at having her brother praised. At Anna's teasing words, Lucia's brow twitched irritably and she let out a small, resigned growl.
She seemed a bit odd about it — her brother was a Level 8 Hunter, which should be something to boast about. What was her complaint? Was she genuinely worried about having him taken away?
That was... a pointless effort. His face might not yet be widely known, but being Level 8 alone made him famous enough. Especially in this country where Hunters held high status — a Level 8 Hunter could expect marriage proposals from even the Empire's upper nobility.
Even so, Lucia seemed overly nervous whenever her brother was involved. Claiming the Sword Saint's secret treasure was cursed, or that her brother was eyeing the academy's treasures — none of that sounded like the usually level-headed Lucia.
"If anything, I'd say it's more likely Lucia skipped her exam, got on the professor's bad side, and brought a Treasure Weapon staff she got from the Sword Saint as an apology."
When Lucia had skipped the Upper Composite Spirit-Staff Certification exam — one she'd been studying for ages — I'd been quite surprised. It was among the most difficult magic-system certifications, requiring both a research history at the academy and a professor's recommendation just to sit for it.
Apparently various circumstances had been at play, but even if she'd tried and failed, that was one thing. Simply not showing up was tantamount to humiliating the professor.
"My — my brother is not the type of person to do something so ordinary!"
"But if you handed over the Sword Saint's secret treasure, I think the professor would forgive you. He's a researcher too, and he's been wanting a staff — couldn't be better timing."
Besides, someone as mean-spirited as Lucia described would never pass a high-level Hunter certification. The evaluation included a character assessment, after all.
And magic research was inseparable from danger. The Thunder-Attribute Treasure Weapon staff Lucia had brought before was proof enough — some degree of risk was simply built in.
"Grrr!"
At Anna's grinning persistence, Lucia puffed out her cheeks — a rare display.
After pulling all-nighters for days on end to create new spells, she did have her cute side. Anyone would want to tease her, not just Anna.
Having arrived too late to get a proper look at the staff, a girl from another laboratory approached Lucia.
"Hey, Lucia? Is your brother not coming?"
"He... isn't. He's busy, you know... Being a Level 8!"
"Aww, last time he was following you around—"
"He was NOT following me!"
At the disgruntled voice, Lucia fixed the girl with a frosty stare.
The story that Lucia had dragged her brother along when she came to apprentice here was well known. And the fact that she was still sensitive about it — apparently he'd insisted on tagging along by force, but at this rate, who knew how much of that was actually true.
That cold voice and air of rejection drew the gazes of Mages who had lost interest in the staff they couldn't touch.
—Then, suddenly, a short scream rang out.
Lucia whipped around toward the sound.
The Jet-Black Staff, hovering above the display platform — a section of the vines composing it had stretched out long and wrapped around someone's arm.
"I — I told you not to touch it! What did you do!?"
"...Nothing. I didn't touch—"
The voice cut off halfway. The binding vines silently lengthened, crawling up the arm and onto the torso.
The expression of shock twisted further as all color drained from the face. The Jet-Black Staff was expanding. The length and thickness of its vines were incomparable to when it had first been brought in.
While everyone was in chaos, another section of vine shot out and lashed at a different Mage who had frozen in place. The movement was lightning-quick — like a snake seizing its prey.
The first Mage caught was flung aside without ceremony, and others rushed over.
There were no visible wounds on the body. The heart was still beating, but the face was deathly pale, consciousness completely gone.
Sweat poured off them like a waterfall. These symptoms — mana depletion.
"It's... absorbing mana!? What — what is this staff!?"
The base of the staff split into two prongs and used them like legs to clamber clumsily off the display apparatus. That almost living gesture made the Mages who moments ago had been admiring the staff take a collective step backward.
The vines composing the staff grew longer and thicker still. What they were becoming no longer resembled a staff — it looked like a plant-type Monster.
Screaming, one of the Mages launched an attack at the staff. As if taking that as a signal, explosions of flame, blades of wind, and projectiles of ice struck from every direction — and the staff trembled violently.
The wounds inflicted by the spells sealed over in an instant, and the staff grew even larger. As if — it had absorbed the magical energy.
Realizing what it truly was, Anna took a step back.
"No way... An anti-magic... living creature? What is this!?"
"See!? I told you so! I told you! You stupid brother! I never asked for something like Luke! I never even touched it!"
"No time for that!"
The gathered Mages scattered like spiders. The former staff flung aside the mana-depleted Mage as though discarding something used up, glanced alternately between Anna and Lucia, then turned toward Lucia.
Lucia pressed her lips together hard, grabbed a long staff someone had dropped, pointed its head forward, and declared: "Fine. Listen up — I won't let you have your way, brother!"
"Lucia! Even you can't fight something immune to mag—"
"...Beat it... with the staff... hngh..."
The former staff regarded Lucia for a moment (it had no eyes, but still), then shifted its stance. Turning around, it used its newly grown legs with surprising dexterity and broke into a run.
Vines from its outstretched arms swept up the slower Mages. How much further this mysterious staff would grow after absorbing all that mana — the thought was too terrifying to entertain. This academy was the Empire's premier magical institution, home to hundreds of Mages from masters to novices.
The former staff smashed its way through the exit — now smaller than itself — and burst into the hallway.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going!?"
Lucia's face went pale as she gave chase. Pursuing a monster without hesitation — truly the mark of a Level 6 Hunter.
Anna surveyed the ransacked warehouse and her fallen colleagues suffering from mana depletion, thought about what the professor would say upon his return, and clutched her head.
"What am I supposed to do about this...?"
§ § § The Smart Sisters had polar opposite personalities. Rids was carefree, impulsive, and occasionally mature, while Citry was rational, dependable, and occasionally childlike. And Citry preferred giving to receiving. That was surely one reason she'd succeeded as an Alchemist.
I loved Rids too — she'd grab my arm and drag my lazy self around by force — but Citry, who accelerated my uselessness, was my personal form of comfort. (Needless to say, Anthem provided the greatest sense of security of all. Was it perhaps because having two energetic people like Rids and Citry around had shaped the brother into that particular personality?)
I ate the meal Citry had prepared — she was decked out in Treasure Weapons and beaming with happiness — while watching Kirukilu do his exercises and lounging about.
Citry had been smiling the entire time. Since she clearly had no intention of leaving the room, I wasn't sure a guard was really necessary, but apparently it served as a nice refreshment for her.
As I let out a huge yawn, Citry sidled up to me, fidgeting with excitement.
"Klein, speaking of which — look! After hearing yesterday's conversation, I brought research materials!"
"Research materials? What kind?"
"A Compendium of Curses. It's a special compilation of dangerous phenomena and cursed items that have been discovered — it's not available on the open market. For Klein's sake, I took it from the institution — it took a lot, a lot of effort!!"
What the hell kind of alarming book was that... Her enthusiasm was appreciated, but... I never asked for it!!
She plonked a thick volume with a sinister binding that looked like it might be cursed onto the desk, then leaned against me from behind.
The soft warmth of her body pressed against my back, along with the clinking of cold Treasure Weapons, as Citry whispered in my ear.
"...If you pick something you want, will you give it to me?"
I will not. Apparently some strange rumor had gotten around again. Franz, Citry — what exactly did these people think I was?
"Most cursed items are hidden away. Even knowing about them is dangerous. This is truly a rare book. For Klein's sake, for Klein's sake."
Citry kept emphasizing that it was for my sake, but even as a Treasure Weapon collector, I had no interest in cursed items.
I'd known nothing about the magic sword Elisa had brought — that had been entirely unavoidable. Besides, cursed items were— Honestly, I was curious what the usually earnest Citry was after, but there was no way that many cursed items were just lying around the Imperial Capital.
Weren't they banned by law? Just possessing them was legal, right? Items with drawbacks tended to have high abilities, after all.
Citry nuzzled against my neck. Propping my cheek on my hand, I casually flipped to a page somewhere in the back.
The illustration showed a sinister tree — completely black from trunk to branches to leaves. I read the text beside it.
"What's this? 'The Black World Tree — A mystical tree, the only one of its kind in this world, created as a substitute for the World Tree. Unlike the World Tree, which draws power from Ley Lines and circulates it through the world, this is a relic of magical civilization that preys on life and steals mana. A fully grown Black World Tree is said to take root and transform a thousand li in every direction into a magical dead zone where no magic can function.'"
"If magic stopped working, civilization would change pretty drastically."
"Hmm... doesn't seem all that impressive, actually. Well, I don't need it anyway..."
I couldn't even use magic. If I lost the ability to charge Treasure Weapons, that would be a real problem — but cursed items weren't necessarily the life-or-death affairs people made them out to be.
When it came to World Trees, those were legendary divine trees. As staff materials, they were considered the finest grade, said to boast enormous mana amplification that surpassed even Treasure Weapons — though the truth of that claim was uncertain. I'd heard that somewhere deep in the great forest managed by the Spiritfolk, a single World Tree still grew and served as an object of their faith, but that sounded dubious. Even Lapis and the others had never seen one.
But this illustration — wouldn't the Spiritfolk fly into a rage if they saw the Black World Tree? Was this some kind of spite?
Anyway, what was it that Citry was so interested in again?
Just as I was about to confirm with my endlessly sparkling childhood friend, the door burst open.
Eva rushed in, her face ashen. Almost simultaneously, the Resonance Stone I'd left on the desk — the one Franz had given me — began to vibrate.
"This is terrible, Klein! The Zebuldia Magic Academy has been destroyed by an unidentified massive Monster!"
"What!? What are you talking about all of a sudden—"
The Zebuldia Magic Academy — the Empire's foremost magical institution. It was also where the professor Lucia apprenticed under belonged.
Its grounds were vast, its buildings reinforced, protected by numerous barrier magics — one of the safest places in the entire Imperial Capital. Destroyed by a Monster? Impossible. It could withstand even a Dragon attack.
It had to be misinformation. Not only was it home to renowned Magicians, but numerous high-Level Hunters as well. Its scale was incomparable even to Thorne Lowell's Swordsmanship Dojo.
For that matter, a massive Monster shouldn't even be able to enter the Imperial Capital. Citry and Kirukilu had wide eyes too.
Eva, out of breath, strode up to the desk, slammed her hand on it, and was about to say something when — she spotted the open page in the reference book and let out a strangled cry.
"This... this is it!!! It looks just like it!"
This was getting nowhere. What on earth was she so worked up about?
All the while, the Resonance Stone kept vibrating — incredibly noisy. Franz was so persistent — what did he want? I was busy here.
I took a deep breath to compose myself, put on a serious expression, and said: "Eva, this isn't a Monster. It's a cursed artifact."
"Who cares about that!? Look — over there!"
Eva circled around behind me and pointed out the window. With no choice, I stood up and joined Citry at the window.
Beyond the buildings, far in the distance, something jet-black loomed where nothing had been before. Visible even from beyond the buildings — it had to be enormous.
As I rubbed my eyes, Citry poked my shoulder.
"It's not a big deal. Right, Klein?"
"...Yeah, yeah, exactly."
It wasn't a big deal, and for the record, I had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Hm? What? I have to go? ...Well, Lucia might be there, I suppose.