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Chapter 128

Besides, Asad had hinted at it before.

—I protect the main house and the center of the forest. The area you’re in is under someone else’s jurisdiction.

—Who is that?

—Lise Ladygoth. If I am the outward House Guardian, then she is a hidden guardian. Specifically, the guardian of the forest... as well as the librarian of the underground library.

"Thinking back, there were many strange things about that place. My guess is that you cast a spell over the entire rear garden..."

It was the only explanation for undead roaming so close to the Bednicker main house, even if it had been in the dead of night. If Lise was also a guardian of the family, then those undead were on our side.

Lise, sensing the cult\'s intrusion, must have sent them as reinforcements.

I decided to take a gamble. "But you didn\'t cast any greater magic."

Finally, Lise broke her silence. "Greater magic?" she asked.

Though her eyes were hidden beyond her hair, I did my best to meet her gaze and cautiously continued, "You didn\'t place a spell large enough to encompass the entire mansion or the forest. Instead, Asad created a barrier around the forest."

Crash...!

A thick book grazed past my ear.

I didn’t dodge, knowing she intended no harm, but it was incredibly fast nonetheless.

If I hadn\'t been on guard, I wouldn\'t have reacted in time.

"Never again..." Lise said, her voice harsh, “utter that disgusting bastard\'s name in front of me... Do you understand?"

"...My apologies."

Were they on bad terms? I had heard they weren\'t close, but I hadn’t known it was that bad.

"The barrier around the forest...” she began. “Most of the family thinks it was put up to control the monsters, correct? It wasn\'t."

—About the barrier around the forest... You are aware that it protects the people of House Bednicker from the monsters, right? But that’s not the truth.

…

—It’s because of Lise Ladygoth. It exists to seal and surveil her.

Oh. I see.

Lise was sealed away here.

Asad was likely the one who had sealed her here or, at the very least, the one keeping watch. No wonder they weren\'t on good terms.

"Child."

"My name is Luan."

I had lived to my thirties back in my Spirit Mountain era, so it didn’t sit right to be called a child.

"Fine. Luan, do you even know anything about magic?"

"What do you mean?"

"That disgusting bastard wasn’t able to create a barrier around the forest because he’s greatly skilled. No, it was because of the relics he hid throughout the forest. Do you think we magicians don\'t use the method you described because we are unaware? You\'re talking about it without addressing the biggest problem."

I was, of course, aware of the problem Lise was referencing.

"It’s inefficient," Lise stated. "Casting a spell over this entire cave is not difficult for me, but it\'d be a challenging task for most magicians. Of course, I could cast a spell over the entire mansion as well—if that hermit doesn\'t interfere, that is. But the entire forest? Do you have any idea how vast the Forest of the Butterfly is?"

"..."

"What you\'re suggesting is impossible even for the Archmages of Seven Colors."

"I understand."

"...Are you trying to play games with me?"

Lise\'s voice was threatening, but I didn\'t back down.

"Excuse me, but do you consider efficiency in the face of nature?"

"What?"

"Whether it be a downpour or snowfall, nature doesn\'t discriminate between where it should and shouldn\'t, does it?"

"Are you trying to discuss the order of nature with me, Lise Ladygoth?"

"Of course not. But have you ever considered applying the flow of nature to magic to escape the logic of efficiency?"

Lise stared blankly at me before muttering, "It doesn\'t seem like you\'re simply talking about absorbing and refining mana."

"The mana contained within seas and mountains is practically limitless. Even the greatest magician wouldn\'t be able to hold one ten-thousandth of it. If we could fully utilize that mana, the scale of magic would no longer be an issue."

"What you are saying merits no response. Your theory is no different from saying we should just wipe out our enemies with naturally occurring storms or tsunamis."

"Not at all. I\'m not talking about praying to a god or relying on luck; this is a skill that can be honed, and in fact, it\'s closer to science than anything else."

In an incredulous voice, Lise said, "Science? Didn\'t you say you were going to teach me magic?"

"Isn\'t magic also referred to as magic research?" I said shamelessly. "The ignorant will say that nature has no laws or rules. However, it’s actually the opposite. There is no place where rules take precedence as strictly as in nature. It\'s just too vast and complex for human understanding. What I\'m trying to explain is..."

...

...

...

"...the interpretation of the natural cycles and the principles of all things, and then utilizing those laws," I finished, looking at Lise. "That is Qimen Dunjia."

—The foundation of Qimen Dunjia lies in defense.

My second senior sister, a master of Qimen Dunjia, explained while polishing her iron fan.

—The goal of those who first created this art was to achieve immortal ascension and become divine immortals.

—I see.

—So the starting point was a desire to to artificially manipulate the terrain to create an environment that wouldn\'t hinder their training.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sharing some great truth, but it was still enough to shock the magicians of this world.

It was a shock stemming not from a difference in knowledge but from a difference in environment.

Naturally, this continent, where magic originated, was completely different from the world where mystic arts originated. There were countless differences that made it impossible to equate them simply because they were both inhabited by people.

The continent was constantly plagued by conflict and strife. Dozens of races were crammed into the vast landmass, and that number was far higher when sub-races were also included. Each race had its own unique history and culture, so conflict was inevitable.

Only now, with the common enemy of the cult and the continent\'s unification under a single nation, had an era of stability arrived.

So, regardless of how magic had begun, it had ultimately developed in a direction that pursued destruction.

On the other hand, Qimen Dunjia originated from a desire to avoid conflict.

I had learned the basics from my second senior sister. If I had taught her about the magic system of this world, she would have been quite surprised.

I figured Lise’s reaction would be similar.

* * * * *

* * * * *

The silence stretched longer than I had expected. I wanted to guess what she was thinking, but her face was obscured. I still couldn\'t see her eyes, let alone her face, because of that creepy hair.

But I took the silence as a good omen. She hadn\'t thrown me into a grave yet.

After a while, Lise said, "...So you’re saying, by slightly twisting the flow of mana dispersed in nature, one can create formations and manipulate the situation to the caster’s advantage."

“Manipulate” wasn\'t quite right—“shape” was more accurate. But considering Lise was a magician, it wasn\'t entirely wrong.

Amazingly, Lise seemed to have grasped the general characteristics of mystic arts from my brief explanation, interpreted through a magician\'s perspective.

"That is correct."

"Impossible," Lise retorted, pausing briefly before—as if to reassure herself—repeating, "Yes, it\'s impossible."

"Why is that?"

"Why do you think we absorb mana into our bodies? To control it as we see fit. Mana that isn\'t stored within the body cannot be refined, and unrefined mana cannot be controlled. This is an absolute law."

"It\'s not about controlling the mana, it’s about utilizing it."

Lise\'s tone seemed to have softened somewhat as she asked, "Is there a difference?"

I nodded. "What if we were to absorb mana but not refine it? Use our bodies as conduits for natural mana to flow through."

"Just use it as a conduit? What is the point of that? If you don\'t arrange the mana in a specific order, no phenomenon will occur. There will be no activation of magic."

"It can be rearranged without being refined. It\'s not impossible. For example, if you limit the output to your finger and then move it, you could rearrange the mana as if drawing with a brush."

To be honest, I was a little confused myself, even as I spoke. I had to translate the concepts of ki and formations into the context of this world’s mana and magic.

"Mana released into the air like that would disperse before long," Lise countered.

"That\'s why the most important part of performing mystic arts is the environment. For example, in a place with dense fog, the spatial density is high, so the scattered mana won’t move easily. The same goes for a dense forest or the sea."

That was also why the dwellings of divine immortals were mostly located deep within untouched nature.

"Then, if you destroy the environment itself, the mystic arts will naturally unravel."

"That\'s true, but if someone can topple mountains, what\'s the point of trapping them in a maze?"

At some point, my conversation with Lise had turned into a debate. She persistently tried to find flaws, and I deflected most of her attacks—though I accepted them on occasion too.

"It doesn\'t seem without its drawbacks. First of all, you can\'t cause destruction with these mystic arts you speak of. Even if you could, the power would be significantly lessened. To increase the power, you would have to artificially refine mana to forcibly increase its purity, so that method is still far from efficient."

Surprisingly, Lise seemed to have grasped the general characteristics of mystic arts from my brief explanation.

I was impressed, but I didn\'t let it show. "A shield can also be wielded like a weapon, but would you say that\'s the right way to use it? The foundation of Qimen Dunjia is defense."

Lise fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.

The silence persisted much longer than before, but eventually, she spoke again. "Very well. I admit it was quite an intriguing story."

I had a feeling she was faking it. There was a hint of forced indifference in her tone.

"But I\'m curious. Who taught you all this?"

I played dumb, using the excuse I had prepared beforehand: "It\'s related to my blessing, so it is difficult for me to say."

"...Hmm." Lise groaned once more before sighing and saying, "I suppose I can\'t pry if it\'s related to your blessing. Now show me this Qimen Dunjia in action."

"Huh? I’m sorry, but I can’t do that."

"What? Why not?" Lise asked back, her voice laced with urgency.

I shook my head. "I can\'t use Qimen Dunjia at all."

Everyone had their talents, and unfortunately, I had no talent in mystic arts.

Of course, if the conditions were right, I could manage a passable imitation, but I couldn\'t manipulate the atmosphere without any preparation like Second Senior Sister.

"If you can\'t use it, how do you intend to prove what you just said? You could have made it all up."

"Do you really think that? That everything I just told you was but a figment of my imagination?"

"..."

Lise knew better than anyone that that was impossible. What I had described was far too detailed to be dismissed as a brat\'s delusion.

I cleared my throat and said, "I only learned this knowledge in theory. I never dared to attempt it. But you, as a magician, are different."

I meant that. Qimen Dunjia was different from the Strongest Fire Technique, which was manipulated within the human body.

To use Qimen Dunjia correctly, one needed a deep understanding of the world we stood upon.

That was impossible for me. I didn\'t have the time, and it wasn\'t my path to begin with.

But as Lise herself had said, and as I had witnessed firsthand, she was an extraordinary magician. Perhaps she could find a unique way to utilize Qimen Dunjia even in this world.

"I said I would teach you about a new kind of magic, not help you master it. I\'ve told you everything I can."

"..."

Finished with my explanation, I quietly looked at Lise...

After another period of silence, she said, "The deal has been established."

I breathed a mental sigh of relief at her words. I’d figured this outcome likely since the middle of our conversation...

But even so, there’s a limit to how confident you can be with people’s hearts. Especially with a fickle magician.

She could still change her mind at any moment.

Of course, I judged that she wasn\'t that kind of person. She was eccentric, that much was clear, but I didn\'t sense any madness in her. If anything, I felt a sense of virtue.

This might be too much of a leap, but... would she really have cut off my arms or ripped out my tongue...?

Looking back, the threats, which had seemed somewhat exaggerated, might have been mere bluffs. Bluffs that I’d taken at face value because she was a magician.

Hmm...

Perhaps it was because I had been so badly burned by magicians during my time as a mercenary. I had to accept that I might have held a strong bias against magicians.

"I shall grant you permission to revisit the underground library. Also... I will enter a contract with you, as the Ebony Serpent Dragon."

"..."

When someone suddenly becomes friendly, it’s best to first be suspicious. Especially if that someone had just threatened to cut off your arms and rip out your tongue.

Cautiously, I said, "I have a feeling there\'s a condition..."

"There is." Lise looked at me with a faint smile, then said something completely unexpected: "Luan, become my disciple."

"Uh... no thanks."

Lise\'s confident smile instantly froze.

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