Chapter 207

Chapter 207: Talents and Calamities

Why hadn’t it occurred to me before?

Because I considered it a field I knew nothing about, my way of thinking had lost flexibility.

‘That’s why trust is so important.’

It was at that moment that I truly felt the weight of it.

Anyway, leaving that aside.

“Where do I get slaves?”

“……Permit me to correct you first. Slavery is illegal in the Empire. And if you are looking for talent, there is no need to look far and wide.”

“No need to look far?”

I gave Henji a blank look.

Henji shook his head with an ironic expression.

“Not me.”

“Who said it was you?”

He told me to look close, so I simply looked around.

But there’s no need to look very far……

“Damian?”

“The Blandaga family would love that.”

“I’m kidding.”

This really was a joke.

I had no idea what Damian would become in the future, but in things like this, he was closer to being a human calamity than a true talent.

And more than that.

‘……I must prevent the tower from getting involved with the Blandaga family.’

There were probably many reasons for the fall of the Blandaga family in the future, but the construction of the tower in their territory had to be the most important.

So, Damian was out.

“……Chenbi?”

“Chenbi…… Don’t you feel sorry for that guy?”

“You know Chenbi?”

“He is the student my grandmother designated as a scholar; how could I not know? We exchanged a brief greeting at the banquet recently.”

“Ah, right.”

Talking to Henji sometimes made me forget that he was actually part of the Blandaga family.

Anyway, Chenbi was also out.

“So where am I supposed to find them? There’s no one who stands out around here. You’re not suggesting I drag Parun into this, right?”

“I couldn’t tell you anything about the magical part, but Parun doesn’t have the talent that would be useful here. Speaking of which, socialization has improved a lot now, but before it was a serious problem.”

“It’s still serious. Now what?”

This guy is useless, that guy is useless.

Involving the director’s predecessor in this would be elder abuse.

Frustrated and seeing no solution in sight, I stared at Henji, who let out an incredulous chuckle.

“Are you leaving it all to me?”

“Did I leave it to you?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Then no.”

“……”

Henji’s eyelid twitched. It was the first time I had seen something like that. Seeing Henji’s impassive face crumble!

Henji took a few deep breaths to regain his composure before speaking.

“You’re exhausting me. I’ll get straight to the point. When I said there was no need to look very far, I meant looking in the academy.”

“The academy?”

“Yes. It seems you don’t fully understand, Aster, but most of the students at the academy are elites who have been trained in these areas since childhood.”

Elites? They all seemed pretty foolish to me.

From what I had seen, all the students at the academy had that vague impression of being a bit clueless.

I didn’t know the martial arts side well, but the magic side was…… Like that 310 gold thing, Evelyn, Dalia of the Dinai family, Purion, Damian, and Chenbi of the Blandaga family.

My expression naturally darkened, and Henji sighed deeply, shaking his head.

“The first-year students are all like that. They are busy adapting to academic life and, for most, it’s the first time they’ve been in a peer group like this.”

“Hmm, maybe.”

Yes. And the amount of knowledge does not determine wisdom. Knowing a lot doesn’t make you smart. Think of yourself, Aster: you don’t know much, but you’re smart, right?

“Is that a compliment?”

“It is.”

Okay, since it’s a compliment, I’ll accept it.

But well.

‘……He’s right.’

Henji wasn’t wrong at all.

It didn’t seem right to call the academy students elites, and the first-year excuse didn’t seem entirely credible either……

‘But talent isn’t limited just to basic classes.’

When that thought crossed my mind, Henji exclaimed with an “Ah!”

“……?”

“Now that I think about it, that exists.”

“That?”

“Yes. When the young patriarch entered Jenion Academy, the family put together a list of outstanding talents.”

Did something like that exist?

I blinked with curiosity, and Henji spoke as if it were obvious.

“All the great houses do it. Who is in this group? Who is worth recruiting? Of course…… we only research and don’t use it.”

“Why not use it?”

“Why do you think?”

……I could understand.

Damian wasn’t the type of person who would act in such a case.

Wait, no. Actually, Dalia of the Dinai family didn’t seem to operate that way either……

‘……She’s similar too.’

But wait.

I looked at Henji with shining eyes.

“Are you going to give it to me?”

“It’s not hard to hand it over. But first……”

“……?”

Henji leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and intertwining his fingers.

I frowned slightly at the classic villain pose.

“I still haven’t received an answer to the question I asked earlier.”

“……What question?”

“My little brother.”

“……Ah.”

That refreshed my memory.

“Stan…… no, Rob something?”

“……I never told you his name.”

“Ah, really?”

But it felt familiar.

“Loden.”

I got the ‘Lo’ right.

Anyway, I remembered what Henji had said back then.

Can you get my little brother into the magic tower?

I had told him to give me time to think, and it seemed like now was the time to get an answer.

“What’s it going to be?”

I thought as I looked at the wicked Henji.

«He sold his brother in exchange for an academy personnel file.»

Of course not.

In a transaction there have to be mutual concessions, but in this case, only I came out winning.

However, there was one thing to clarify.

“Primary attribute?”

“Earth element. He received instruction from Duke Toho Man thanks to Grandmother’s consideration. He’s not his direct disciple, but he will earn his keep.”

Hmm, earth element. Not a bad attribute.

“The tower’s rules are quite strict. No special treatment.”

“That’s fine. Don’t worry about that.”

Then there was no need to hesitate.

“Very well, Loden is a member of the magic tower from now on.”

“Not Loden—Loden. Thank you.”

I smiled and offered my hand to Henji. He smiled back with satisfaction and shook my hand firmly.

When our eyes met, I added one more thing.

“Oh, now you can show some sincerity.”

“……?”

“Isn’t it usually like that? Most family bonds come with that.”

“……”

As I already said, no special treatment.

But fair compensation had the power to turn even special things into something ordinary.

……Of course, Henji never showed any sincerity.

Anyway, once my dilemma and the entry of Lo-something into the tower were resolved, we reached the main topic.

“So, the reason you called me today is, as expected……”

“Yes, about the New Heavenly Origin Art.”

“Are there results already?”

Personally, I felt a strong heartbeat.

New Heavenly Origin Art.

I had experienced it directly and indirectly countless times in my past life, but facing the reality for the first time was exciting.

Of course, there was no guarantee it would be exactly the same as the past life version, but the expectation was real.

Henji nodded at my question and handed me a book.

“This is……”

“I compiled the theories of the thesis into a secret manual. However……”

I reached out toward the New Heavenly Origin Art, but stopped upon hearing Henji’s voice. That was when he spoke.

“There is something you should know, Aster.”

“Tell me.”

As I withdrew my hand from the New Heavenly Origin Art, Henji continued.

“First of all, this manual is not a perfect result. You know that, right?”

“I heard it’s an intermediate stage.”

“Yes, exactly. You could say it has flaws. It lacks the most important thing.”

“The most important part?”

Henji nodded at my question.

“How should I explain this?”

He seemed hesitant, but soon opened his mouth.

“Would it make sense if I said the ‘mental image’ is missing?”

“……Mental image?”

“Yes, the mental image.”

I tilted my head at that.

‘The mental image is missing?’

Why?

A mental image is the ultimate form that a secret art pursues.

Take the Crimson Flame as an example: the “solitary and burning fire” is the ideal to which it aspires.

Higher-level secret arts invariably have their own “mental images” of this kind, which was precisely my question.

‘But is the heavenly origin art a basic art?’

Basic arts do not have mental images by default.

That’s why they are “basic.”

The reason the Heavenly Origin Art possesses infinite potential but remains a “basic art” is precisely this.

What makes the Heavenly Origin Art great is its potential to encompass mana of all attributes, not because it is a higher quality art.

That was why I was puzzled.

The Heavenly Origin Art was a secret art that naturally lacked a mental image.

Seeing my reaction, Henji continued as if it made sense.

“The New Heavenly Origin Art is a secret art with a mental image. If you had understood the thesis, perhaps you would have noticed……”

“It was tough.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m explaining it. The current version of the New Heavenly Origin Art manual does not have a constructed mental image. It only contains the potential.”

“Potential……”

“This is the key part. Hmm.”

Henji looked toward where Diner No. 1 was.

Diner No. 1, who had been evaluating the wyvern, calmed down immediately afterward, and Henji spoke shortly after.

“To put it precisely: the current New Heavenly Origin Art has the ‘potential to retain a mental image.’ But it lacks a specific mental image guided by the art.”

“So……”

Is it like a blank canvas? Other secret arts provide guidelines and tell you to follow them, but the current New Heavenly Origin Art allows the user to shape the mental image as they please.

Was that even possible?

No, leaving possibility aside……

“That sounds dangerous.”

Yes, this was dangerous.

Someone might argue that if the user can freely shape the mental image, it holds infinite potential.

But.

‘That’s nonsense.’

Even if the mental image of the Crimson Flame is described simply as “solitary and burning fire,” the implications contained within those few words are incalculable.

This is because interpretations of “completeness” vary by person, and secret arts guide the user through a pre-established sequence to understand those implications.

Why do secret arts use this cumbersome method?

Simple.

‘Conceptual clash.’

Take the classic “the shield that never breaks” and “the spear that pierces everything” as an example. Think about it.

These two concepts are opposites. What would happen if mutually exclusive concepts like those ended up fusing into a single mental image?

‘……Boom.’

……It wouldn’t literally explode, but chaos would break out.

And yet.

“Are you saying the New Heavenly Origin Art is in that state right now?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m warning you. It is extremely dangerous. If you plan to learn it…… you must keep this in mind.”

“……”

I observed the New Heavenly Origin Art manual on the table for a moment. Then I turned to Henji and asked.

“How long until the final version is ready?”

“Honestly, I can’t promise.”

“Can’t promise?”

“Yes. In a way, it could take a lifetime…… or even a lifetime might not be enough.”

……Yes, that’s right.

Various thoughts flashed through my mind.

What Pahren von Decullan learned in his past life —what the Decullan family adopted— was it the complete New Heavenly Origin Art? Or a diluted version without the danger?

While I pursued that line of thought.

Henji’s voice was heard right at that moment.

“What’s it going to be?”

Knock, knock.

Henji smiled mischievously as he drummed his fingers on the New Heavenly Origin Art.