June 1, 2025

AKM Act 11-2.1

Act 11-2: Academy of Magic TL : Cnine ED/PF : R1[1-2], R2[3-4] Part 1 　A mage, Katakake heaved a deep sigh. 　He had been sighing constantly

Act 11-2: Academy of Magic
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
R1[1-2], R2[3-4]

Part 1

　A mage, Katakake heaved a deep sigh.
　He had been sighing constantly ever since a certain event happened.
　Such Katakake was working as library's receptionist today.

　It was noon and the library rarely got visitor around this time.
　The reason was that many people were busy with preparations for the Sage Council, which would be held the day after tomorrow.
　Many library staffs had also been called away, leaving Katakake alone manning the receptionist.

「You still look like someone forsaken by the goddess, Katakake.」

　Someone suddenly called out to Katakake who was manning the receptionist desk.
　When Katakake raised his face, he saw a man with curly hair standing in front of him.

「It just Chijirege huh...」

　Katakake spoke as he heaved another deep sigh.
　The family name of the curly haired man was Magius, just like Katakake's family name.
　In Saria, many children are named Magius in honor of the Great Sage Magius.
　Because of this, they were called by nicknames to distinguish them.
　In other words, since he was a Magius with curly hair, he was called Chijirege (curly hair).
　By the way, Katakake had always been wearing a shawl because he gets cold easily, which was why he was called by that nickname.

「What’s with that attitude? Come on, cheer up already. You didn’t even get punished, did you?」
「Yeah, I didn’t get punished, but still… What am I supposed to do from here on out?」

　Katakake rested his forehead on the reception desk.
　Saria, home to the headquarters of the Magician Association, it also had an academy dedicated to delve even deeper into the study of magic.
　Studying at this academy was the dream of nearly every magician, and Katakake himself was one of magician.
　However, studying at this academy wasn't just a matter of paying tuition; who you apprentice under was just as important.
　The mentors at Saria’s academy were all highly skilled, but some of them are difficult to approach.
　Many was so engrossed in their own research that they neglect their apprentices, and with tuition fees being far from cheap, choosing the right mentor was truly crucial.
　In addition, some mentors have formed factions, so if one wishes to succeed in Saria, the best course of action was to become apprentice under a mentor from a major faction.
　Among them, Katakake apprenticed under a mentor belonging to the faction of Tarabos, the Vice President.
　Tarabos's faction was large, and even Katakake, who belonged to its lower ranks, was able to benefit from it.
　Thanks to his mentor’s recommendation, Katakake was able to secure a position as a library staff and his life in Saria was smooth sailing.

　However, Vice President Tarabos violated the Association's prohibitions and became a fugitive, and the mentor Katakake had apprenticed under disappeared along with their most promising disciples.
　The ones who truly suffered were the apprentices who were left behind.
　They were subjected to interrogations under suspicion of being complicit in Tarabos’ crimes.
　Katakake was also interrogated, but since he was merely a low-ranking member of the faction and had neither been informed of nor participated in any wrongdoing, he was spared.
　However, with no mentor left to teach him magic, finding a new one proved difficult, as few were willing to take on an apprentice associated with Tarabos.
　Currently, Katakake had no mentor and was in a state where he no longer knew why he was staying in Saria.

（Sigh... Why am I even here...? My father and mother went through so much just to send me to Saria... And yet... I feel guilty toward Madia, who never even had the chance to study here.）

　Katakake recalled his parents and younger sister back in the Republic Ariadya.
　The average magician was wealthier than most ordinary citizens, yes, the average; those at the bottom often struggle to make a living.
　Katakake was born into a middle-class magician family, but sending him to study to Saria required a significant amount of money, and his parents had to make considerable sacrifices.
　If he was to lose his position as a librarian now, without any backing, he would likely had to leave Saria.
　He was unwilling to stop studying in Saria like this, but the situation was by no means favorable.
　He needed some kind of help.

「So, here’s the deal. I’ve got a good offer for you.」

　As Katakake rested his forehead on the reception desk, Chijirege spoke gleefully.

「What do you mean by good offer?」

　Katakake raised his head immediately.
　In fact, Chijirege had studied under the same mentor as Katakake.
　He didn't have much talent for magic, but he was sociable and skilled at navigating society, so he seemed to be doing well even after Tarabos was gone.
　It was a talent that Katakake jealous of.

「Actually, there's a mentor who might be willing to take you in as a disciple.」
「Really? But won't I need money for that?」

　Katakake asked as he cast a skeptical gaze.
　Saria's academy was funded by admission fees and external donations, while the mentor's income comes from a fixed salary and tuition fees.
　If a disciple was exceptionally talented, the mentor may waive the admission and tuition fees, but Katakake was not particularly outstanding in terms of talent.
　The salary from the library was not that high, so he couldn't afford a large sum of money.
　In addition, he could not place any further burden on his distant parents in Ariadya.

「No, you won’t need that much money. However, it’s not entirely free either。」

「There's nothing scarier than free lunch. But I'll at least listen first。」

Katakake decided to listen.
Even if he ended up refusing, there’s no harm in at least hearing about this matter. Not to mention that he was in a pretty desperate situation himself.
He had no choice.

「Yeah, I figured. There’s no other way, right? Alright then, let’s get to the main topic—Do you know what lies beneath this library?」

「Beneath this library? Uhm... Is it by chance, a private library?」

Katakake replied.
In the 1st basement floor, there are books that wasn't available to the public. Generally, only those with the rank of Master or higher were allowed to read them.
The reason being not only because some books contain classified information, but also because there were dangerous grimoires stored there.
Some books infused with magical power could take effect just by being read, directly influencing the reader’s mind. If a weak magician were to read them, there was a chance of their mind being destroyed.
Thus, only someone with certain level of authority could access the floor.
In fact, Katakake has been granted special access to enter as well, for the purpose of organizing.
He remember that what seemed to be dangerous grimoires were wrapped in paper and bound with chains to prevent anyone from reading them by accident.

「As expected, you know your stuff. But do you know what lies even deeper beneath that basement?」

The moment Chijirege asked that question.
Katakake opened his eyes in surprise and looked at Chijirege.

「Are you referring to, the Forbidden Archive? Only those granted permission by the Great Sage are supposed to be allowed to enter that place. U-uh, so… Is something the matter with that place?」

Katakake asked while furrowing his eyebrows.
The Forbidden Archive kept grimoires far more dangerous than those in the basement archive, and without permission from the Great Sage Magius, not even Masters, not even sage were allowed to enter.
Katakake had only heard about the forbidden archieve through rumors, but supposedly, there was even books written by devils themselves stored inside.
Among the dangerous grimoires, the most well-known were the Book of Rugas, written by the Prime Minister of Nargol who served the Demon King, and the Codex of Maggots, authored by the Lord of Maggots.
It was unclear what language was written in those books, but it was said that if one could decipher them, it might even be possible to summon devils.
He had no idea why Chijirege would ask about the Forbidden Archive, where such dangerous books were kept.

「Yeah, yeah, exactly. Well, if you're staff, of course you'd know. The thing is, there's a Master who wants to read one of the books stored there. And that person asking for your assistance。」

Katakake felt like he was about to passed out upon hearing Chijirege's remark.

「Ah… I shouldn’t have asked. I told you before, right? you can’t go in there without the Great Sage’s permission. If we sneak in, I really might get kicked out of Saria this time. No, maybe it won’t end with just that…」

If getting kicked out of Saria were the only consequence, that would still be bearable, but there was also the possibility of being expelled from the Magician Association.
If he was to be expelled, a low-ranking mage like Katakake probably wouldn’t be able to survive, and it would likely have a negative impact on his family as well.

「Come on, just hear me out, Katakake. Sure, going in without permission would be a problem. But that means it's fine if we do have permission, right? And you should know someone who’s been granted that permission. What I’m trying to say is, we want that person’s cooperation。」

Katakake seems to be troubled upon hearing that sentence.

「The one who has permission, are you referring to Kuroki-dono?」

「So their name are Kuroki-dono, eh? Do you think you could arrange a meeting with him? You're his acquaintance, aren't you?」

Surely, Katakake was Kuroki's acquaintance.
It was none other than Katakake who, introduced by the head librarian, guided Kuroki around the library during the latter first visit.
Even now, Katakake still remembers that moment.
A black-haired young man dressed in a manner unbefitting of a mage.
It just so happened that Katakake was free at the time, so he ended up being the one to show Kuroki around.
How Kuroki managed to get permission from the Great Sage Magius was a total mystery.
At glance, he look like an ordinary person.

「Haah... I do know him, but it's not like we're particularly close or anything, and I don’t know when he'll be coming. I might be able to contact you ithe next time he come though...」

Katakake shook her head.
Kuroki lives outside of Saria, and Katakake had no idea when the former would visit the library again.
When someone wants to use the forbidden archieve, they were supposed to notify the library reception, so all he could do was to let you know if he shows up.
He couldn't say that they were close enough for Katakake to introduce him.
At that moment.
Someone was visiting the library.

「Hello, Katakake-dono. I’d like to enter the forbidden archieve if possible...」

A voice called out, and Katakake and Chijirege turned around to look at the person who had entered.
Standing there was a young man, Kuroki.