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[Ha-ha-hat!!]

Virgil lowered his head in response to the laughter emanating from the expansive screen.

[It’s been quite a while since I’ve heard such words from you. It reminds me of the old times.]

“The blade prepared by Jenny seems sharper than I thought. If we move rashly, we might suffer a significant loss instead.”

[You make a sensible point.]

Clink.

The sound of a glass of alcohol being swirled could be heard.

[Unless the opponent wasn’t just a youngster scraping by as a broker until recently.]

“……”

[Kaiser’s last remaining child, I understand she’s just under thirty. Not even half the time we’ve spent in this field, right?]

Virgil slowly raised his gaze, fixing it on the screen.

On the opposite side of the screen, a luxurious swimming pool stretched beneath the vast night sky.

A multitude of young men and women frolicked below in the pool, accompanied by loud music.

“……I haven’t counted since it passed 30 years.” At the pinnacle of the swimming pool, a woman stood with a glass in her hand, watching over them.

[As I age, I find it quite pleasing to watch these young kids play around.] the cartel leader remarked, gently placing her glass down.

[Seeing these beings, who barely live a hundred years, burn with passion as if now is all there is to the world, makes me think that what I desire is meaningless.]

“You have changed a lot.”

[Virgil. Do you remember how many years we have worked together?]

“……I haven’t counted since it passed 30 years.”

Both the cartel leader and Virgil maintained youthful appearances, but their true age had long surpassed their outward looks.

Ascending one’s own realm to approach transcendence was a journey fraught with time and hardships. Unless one possessed extraordinary talent that transcended time, there came a point when they relied on the gradual accumulation of power to fuel their growth.

[It has been over fifty years since the city council’s old men harbored greed beyond their station. Nothing has happened since we agreed to share the shadows of this city.] she continued, a faint laugh in her voice. [I thought I was losing even the little regrets I had left… But now, everything is beginning to change. How ironic.]

Virgil remained silent.

[If now we finally have a justification to move… Virgil. What do you want to do?]

“You should do as you wish,” Virgil replied with an indifferent expression. ” As always, I will just follow. The other presidents of the cartel will think the same.”

[Follow… Yes, that’s true.] the woman, who had been idly swirling her glass, nodded.

[Even though it’s late, I suppose we should check what legacy Kaiser intended to leave for his granddaughter.] her voice drifted aimlessly but turned infinitely cold. [The beginning and the end of the Black Consumer Project. The secret that stopped the old men who coveted the art of immortality. Did Kaiser know the answer?]

It was a secret too significant to entrust to a granddaughter who hadn’t even been born at that time. Perhaps that’s why Jenny had survived until now, by excluding that possibility.

Without countering her statement, Virgil bowed his head in silence.

“Everything will proceed according to your will,” he affirmed.

[Don’t make me wait too long. If not you, I’ll send another president. I’m very curious to see how Kaiser’s granddaughter has grown…]

***

“What is a Domain?” Aris, who had been gazing out of the window in a daze, suddenly posed the question. Lennok put down the book he was holding in response.

They were on the 8th floor of the Vulcan City Central Library, a place bathed in warm sunlight streaming through large glass windows, filled with magical books and papers. However, strangely, wizards seldom frequented this place. Laymen to magic avoided it, and those with some knowledge of magic tended to seek out more specialized and well-equipped locations for their theoretical and literary needs. This was especially true since the University of Rabatenon had opened its library to the public. In this world, there was little reason to visit this library unless one was either a complete novice who knew nothing about magic or an eccentric who combed through all existing papers just in case.

It had been quite some time since the two had met here. After Lennok had officially become an associate professor, there was essentially no need to continue meeting in the library. Discussing their theories in the lab sufficed, and as Lennok became busier with his classes, the necessity of visiting the library had waned. That was until Lennok’s paper had unexpected repercussions.

“Asking me about it won’t be of much help to you.” Lennok replied.

“Why not?”

“Why? Well, essentially, the Domain of self-field is only permitted to geniuses who have reached the threshold between the 6th and 7th levels.”

While the ability to manifest a Domain was dependent on talent and predisposition, the depth of that ability was a different matter entirely. It was intrinsically tied to the sorcerer’s innate imagination and often gave rise to the most closely guarded and personal memories. This was why there were very few papers published by the academy that delved deeply into the Domain. To earnestly study the Domain would require exposing the sorcerer’s most intimate imaginings. Neither the sorcerer writing the paper nor the subject of the research wanted their Domain of self-field to be laid bare.

It made sense that Aris, who was diligent in her research and training, was struggling to find direction. From her perspective, having advanced more rapidly than anyone along the established path, she was now experiencing the growing pains of having to construct her own imaginative world.

Of course, Lennok wasn’t in a much different situation, so he attempted to change the subject, feigning calm. “For a wizard like me who deals with elemental magic, it’s a completely unknown field. I don’t think my opinion will be of much help…”

“No,” Aris interjected, abruptly cutting off Lennok’s words.

“I was convinced after reading the paper Lennok wrote. Your theoretical perspective is completely different from that of existing wizards.”

“What?” Lennok asked, intrigued.

“The paper you wrote. I don’t know what you think of it, but it’s as if you’ve explained the changes in the properties of mana that 6th-level wizards reach from a completely different perspective. The compatibility between lightning magic and electromagnetic waves. In other words, it signifies a change in the properties of magic from a physical viewpoint.”

“…”

“That’s why it’s a constant topic of discussion in the academy, and why you are not under suspicion. Essentially, this is-“

“A paper that everyone thinks could not have been written without directly reaching the 6th level… right?” Lennok finished her thought.

Aris nodded quietly, her deep blue eyes gleaming with clarity.

“Lennok. Your theoretical talent is looking beyond the realm of a simple wizard. Perhaps even the fact that you’ve acquired elemental magic is due to a completely different set of standards because of that unique way of thinking.” Aris remarked.

Lennok remained silent, absorbing her words.

“If I may be so bold, I need that unique way of thinking. I know you are cautious with your opinions, Lennok, but even an absurd hypothesis could be a big help.”

“You want a statement that can break the mold of conventional thinking. It could certainly help to have a different perspective.” Lennok conceded with a wry smile.

Reflecting on it now, he realized he should have considered more variables when choosing a topic for his paper. Back then, his primary goal was to select a theme suitable for an elemental sorcerer and gain recognition for his work. He never anticipated that it would inadvertently offer a unique understanding of the nature of mana, thus averting suspicion. It was fortunate, though not something Lennok had meticulously planned or intended.

‘But, as a result, is it a gain to discuss the Domain with Aris?’

Just as Aris grappled with the challenge of infusing her Domain with imaginative constructs, Lennok faced a similar dilemma. However, Lennok’s contemplation extended beyond the mere difficulty of embedding imagination.

“Why not think about what comes after embedding imaginations into your Domain?” he proposed.

“What do you mean?” Aris inquired.

“Didn’t you say that depending on what imaginations are imprinted in one’s domain, the abilities of that domain are determined?”

“……”

“Then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start from the kind of ability you want and work backward. Even if you successfully imprint an image and ascend to the 7th level, it would be problematic if the domain’s ability turns out to be of little help.”

“……”

Aris blinked in silence.

This concept seemed to pose a significant challenge for her. It wasn’t about the process of projecting an image onto a domain but rather the utility of the domain’s abilities once she ascended to the 7th level. To others, it might seem presumptuous to worry about a success that had not yet been achieved. However, this was precisely Lennok’s concern when it came to Domain.

Lennok had already observed Grisha’s Domain on two occasions in the autonomous region, gaining a deep understanding of how it functioned. The landscape she had conjured within her Domain represented her now-vanished homeland—a jungle landscape that had been reduced to ashes. It was a terrain of memories and images that held profound significance for the sorcerer Grisha.

Lennok found that embedding such images within his Domain was not particularly challenging for him. He possessed the talent to masterfully control his thoughts and emotions. Having honed all the necessary skills required of a wizard to their extreme limits, imposing a hierarchy on the emotions contained within was second nature to him. Therefore, what fundamentally occupied Lennok’s thoughts was the following:

Once an image was selected and projected into the Domain, what abilities would be encompassed within that Domain?

“The optimal environment is one that is tailored to the spells you handle. If not, at least it is preferable to have abilities or side effects that assist in combat. Or it could be something that aids your pursuit of a certain level or direction of research… If not even that, then in a way that can compensate for weaknesses.”

“I see,” Aris replied.

Lennok continued, “There are many possibilities to consider, but there’s always the chance that things won’t go as planned. After all, no one can guarantee that the spells you handle and the images fundamentally align. Aris, you handle various elemental spells, but it’s not certain that your inclination is particularly concentrated towards specific traits like lightning or ice.”

Aris gazed at Lennok with a puzzled expression as he delved into the challenges he had been contemplating.

Unaware of her gaze, Lennok rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

“Whether a particular memory or landscape decisively shapes the domain’s ability can’t be confirmed with just one case. Ideally, it would be best to increase the sample size by examining several other sorcerers’ domains, but if that’s not possible, then rather…”

“Lennok?”

“…”

Yes.

Lennok was troubled because he couldn’t be certain based solely on Grisha’s Domain. He even considered that it might be more effective to directly engage with other wizards in conflict to observe their domains, landscapes, and abilities.

That’s why Lennok didn’t entirely dread the confrontation with the cartel. An organization of that magnitude was sure to house formidable sorcerers. If he followed the trajectory of Jenny’s business expansion and systematically dealt with them one by one, eventually, without a doubt…

“Lennok!”

Thump!

“…!!!”

Startled by a forceful tap on his shoulder, Lennok jolted in surprise.

Aris, who had been seated across from him, had somehow moved closer, leaning in.

“Are you okay?” she inquired with concern.