Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 89

Thud, thud.

Ani Persson walked ahead and said,

"It's been a long time since I've had a guest come to learn magic from me. Ehehehe. People haven't visited because of strange rumors."

"Ah, the rumors..."

I didn't know this would come out of his mouth first.

I pretended not to know and asked Ani Persson,

"What kind of rumors were they?"

Ani Persson turned his head towards me and squinted.

His expression seemed to be trying to figure out why I asked such a question.

Unfazed, I put on an innocent face as if I really didn't know anything, and Ani Persson soon relaxed his expression and smiled.

"You don't need to know about that, my disciple. It's just a groundless rumor created by those full of envy and jealousy. Hahaha."

"...I see."

"Ah, may I call you my disciple?"

"Of course, Master."

"Huhuhu, Master. It's a nice title to hear."

How long had we been walking?

After passing through all the living spaces, Ani Persson stopped in front of a thick iron door.

It seemed to be a very important space for Ani Persson, as it was thoroughly secured with strange devices I had never seen before.

Clank- Click.

When he turned the wheel-like handle, there was a sound of the lock being released.

It seemed that was the last lock.

Then Ani Persson suddenly turned around.

"Oh my. It's been a while since I've taught anyone, so I missed the most important question."

"An important question?"

"Why do you want to learn Light magic, my disciple?"

A more normal question than I expected.

'Why do I want to learn it?'

Before answering, I recalled what I had heard about Ani Persson at the Information Center.

It would be better to give an answer that would appeal to him to some extent rather than just saying anything.

'He's a bit eccentric, but he's surprisingly honest.'

At least he wasn't supposed to have a twisted ideology like the Dark Mages or Dercion.

Of course, I don't know if the information is correct... but for now, I have no choice but to rely on it.

"Because Light is the most effective way to deal with those demons."

No one with normal thinking likes demons.

If the information from the Information guild is not wrong, Ani Persson should feel the same.

As expected.

"Oh... you mean you want to learn Light magic to catch demons?"

Ani Persson's eyes lit up with interest.

He seemed to like the answer.

I pushed further and drove the wedge in.

"It's not just about catching them, it's about erasing their existence."

At that, Ani Persson let out another sly laugh.

"Ehehehe. If that's the reason..."

Creak.

"You are fully qualified to know about the Light."

Ani Persson opened the iron door and beckoned me in with a flick of his hand.

'Maybe he's not such a bad person after all.'

Thinking that, I stepped inside.

'...What is this?'

The first thing I saw was a darkroom, pitch black, covered with black cloth on all sides.

"This is where I study Light."

"Here? I can't see anything."

"Ehehehe. Right? I'll turn on the light."

Click

Ani Persson pulled a string hanging from the ceiling, and the light bulb came on.

Only then could I properly see the scene of the darkroom.

As Ani Persson said this was a research room, the walls were neatly stacked with what appeared to be research materials.

Among them were some yellowed, quite old-looking materials.

'Did he gather 20 years' worth of research materials here?'

The sheer volume of it seemed like an extraordinary effort.

"Are all of these materials related to Light magic?"

"Huhuhu, that's right. It's no exaggeration to say that these are the materials I've dedicated my life to."

"May I take a look?"

"If you're curious, my disciple, I'll gladly allow it."

Ani Persson nodded, and I slowly began to look over the research materials.

'The origin of Light, the relationship between Light and darkness, the properties of Light, the speed of Light...'

As he said, they were indeed all materials related to Light.

Moreover, each and every one of them was filled with detailed content; none of them were written carelessly.

I realized anew how sincere Ani Persson was about Light magic.

And at this point, a question arose.

"Why did you go so far to research Light magic?"

That's the reason why Ani Persson studies Light.

Frankly, it was rare to find someone who delved this deeply into one attribute.

It's common to give up research and stagnate once you reach a certain level.

Furthermore, isn't Ani Persson an Awakened who can't handle mana?

It was impossible not to have questions.

And Ani Persson's answer only deepened the mystery.

"It's because I have a mission that I can't help but fulfill."

"A mission? Who in the world...?"

"A mission given by God, you could say? Of course, I'm not a religious person. Ehehehe!"

"I see."

He's not even religious, yet he claims to have researched Light magic for decades because of a mission given by God...

The more I got to know Ani Persson, the stranger he seemed.

Besides, he wouldn't answer when I asked him what exactly that mission was.

"It's too early to talk about that. If you don't give up and learn Light magic from me to the end, you'll find out someday, my disciple. Hehehe."

He just kept repeating that I would find out someday.

In the end, I had no choice but to move on to another topic.

Of course, I had a lot to talk about with him.

"I heard that you can't handle mana, is that true?"

"Ah, that's right. It's very unfortunate. But I understand it to some extent. If I could handle mana, the world would have already changed."

"The world would have changed?"

"Simply put, it means I have that much knowledge. Perhaps God didn't grant me mana to prevent such a thing from happening? Hhehehe."

Ani Persson said with a joyful laugh.

Seeing him now, it seemed he had tremendous pride in his knowledge.

"What level do you think you've reached?"

"Hmm, the public assessment is that I'm at the 8th Circle level. However-"

He continued with a confident face.

"I, Ani Persson, am confident that I have reached the 9th Circle level."

"9th Circle?"

"Yes, the world has underestimated me."

'Huh.'

Honestly, I was a bit dumbfounded when I heard this.

Okay, I can understand that Ani Persson has that much knowledge.

But, 9th Circle?

That's not a level just anyone can claim.

The 8th Circle and the 9th Circle are worlds apart.

Ani Persson was saying that if he could only handle mana, he could easily crush anyone, be it Dersion or Asion Gayle.

And naturally, I...

'He's got a big ego.'

That's what I couldn't help but think.

It's only natural, since I haven't felt anything amazing about Ani Persson yet.

In reality, the possibility of Ani Persson's words being true was extremely low.

Anyway, let's leave that aside.

"Then, could you tell me specifically what aspects can be improved if I learn Light magic from you, Mr. Ani Persson?"

Let's hear it.

How great is he to evaluate himself as someone who has reached the 9th Circle?

"Of course. First, let's see your Light magic."

Ani Persson added that since he couldn't handle mana, he couldn't sense the mana that others possessed.

In short, he needs to see it directly to tell me what and how to improve.

"I understand."

I didn't ask any more questions and immediately displayed my magic.

A sphere of Light emerged from the dwarf-made gauntlet-type weapon.

Anyone who learned from Aldeon could do it, but even with the same magic, it changes depending on who casts it, that's what magic is.

Therefore, it meant I could get an accurate assessment of what my magic looked like from Ani Persson's perspective.

"Ohho... Hmm... Huh..."

Ani Persson circled around for a while, examining the sphere of Light.

His eyes were filled with more enthusiasm than ever.

Then, as if he had come to a conclusion, he clapped his hands.

"Good. I can evaluate your Light magic like this. Supreme but unstable Light-"

"Supreme but unstable?"

"Yes, your mana is very pure. Purity is a property very suitable for Light. It's hard to judge how far you can climb if you properly handle Light. That's what I meant by supreme."

"Then, unstable means...?"

"Everything except your pure mana is terrible!"

Ani Persson, who had been speaking calmly until now, raised his voice.

"The formula that makes up Light magic! The structure! The circulation of mana! The understanding of the attribute! There's nothing right about it! Ha, it would be difficult to handle Light magic this poorly. This is the level of someone completely ignorant of Light."

"..."

Having both [Prodigy of Magic] and [Essence of Light], I had high expectations.

This was an unexpected criticism.

'Is my Light magic really that bad?'

While I was thinking that, Ani Persson asked,

"Disciple, where did you learn Light magic? Was it perhaps Aldeon?"

I flinched.

It was a question that I couldn't help but be surprised by.

"How did you know?"

"Ha, this is unbelievable. This can't be..."

Ani Persson shook his head regretfully and said,

"This is a guess based on experience. Among the mages who have visited me, those who showed such poor Light magic were all from Aldeon or learned Light magic there."

"Huh?"

This was also surprising.

Everyone who learned Light magic in Aldeon was terrible?

"Isn't that the magic tower that handles Light?"

When I asked in a tone that showed I couldn't understand, Ani Persson answered in a firm voice.

"Just because they mainly handle Light doesn't mean they know Light well. That place is a group that only looks at Light magically."

"I don't quite understand."

"So..."

Click

Ani Persson suddenly reached out and turned off the light bulb that was illuminating the darkroom.

His words continued in the darkness.

"Tell me. Was the light that was illuminating our vision just now magic?"

"...No."

"Then is the light emitted by the sun in the sky magic?"

"That's not either."

"Light has existed since before magic. It must have existed in the primordial world, no, at the beginning of all worlds."

"Ah..."

To look at Light only magically.

I think I understood what Ani Persson was trying to say.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]