Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 31 (Part 1)

Knock knock!

Rodin knocked on the administrative office door. It wasn’t until almost a minute later that he heard a voice saying, “Come in.”

“They’re just playing power games for no reason.”

He was unfamiliar with the administrative office since he rarely visited it. He didn’t like the unique tense atmosphere it had.

“Still uncomfortable.”

When he entered, Instructor Kruper was standing with his arms crossed. The other instructors were nowhere to be seen.

“I came as summoned.”

“Go inside.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you go inside, you’ll see stairs leading up. Go up there. It’s a call from the committee.”

It wasn’t often that the instructors called for him, but it was his first time being summoned by the committee.

The committee was the highest authority and decision-maker of this training institution.

Moreover, they were individuals of the same caliber as him. It could be dangerous if he were attacked from above.

“What is this about?”

Anxiety made his feet feel heavy. He felt like running away from the administrative office right then and there.

“What are you doing? Go up!”

“Understood.”

Rodin had long surpassed the level of the instructors. Whether it was a magic instructor or a swordsmanship instructor, no one could stop him.

But the committee was different. They were of the same caliber, but there were more of them.

“Nothing will happen.”

They were the ones holding the slave sticks. They could handle him at any time, so they wouldn’t bother calling him to the administrative office just to kill him.

“Phew.”

He exhaled a few times to shake off his nervousness, then walked in the direction Instructor Kruper pointed.

After passing through a long hallway, he saw the stairs going up. He heightened his senses and slowly ascended.

When he reached the top, another door appeared. The structure was annoyingly complex and the procedures unnecessarily lengthy.

Knock knock!

He knocked, but there was no response.

It wasn’t that no one was inside. They were intentionally taking their time.

Except for Instructor Serion, everyone here was like this. They desperately tried to show that they were in a higher position.

Hedler had mentioned that all the nobles of the Riyaz Kingdom were like this. Their aristocratic and authoritarian attitudes were so severe that even other countries found them pitiful.

“When will it open? Since it’s a committee member, it will definitely take more than a minute.”

He didn’t knock any further and waited calmly.

After about three minutes, a small, low voice was heard.

“Come in.”

Rodin entered and bowed his head. His posture clearly showed that the other person was in a higher position.

“It’s Committee Member Kser.”

A 5-circle magician, and the second oldest person after the deceased Chairman Kreate.

“Trainee 108 from the third class, reporting as summoned.”

“Return your ID badge.”

“Pardon?”

When he came to the administrative office, he was planning to ask for more books, but that thought vanished from his mind. He couldn’t guess Committee Member Kser’s intention, so he couldn’t think of anything else.

“Is it difficult to understand the command to return your ID badge?”

“No, sir.”

“From today, you are no longer allowed to use the magic training room. Access to the advanced first and second library sections is also prohibited. Those places are now off-limits to you.”

It was a firm declaration. There was no point in asking “Why?”.

Rodin obediently returned his ID badge.

Committee Member Kser snatched the ID badge with one hand and stood up from his seat.

“You often go to the lake, right?”

“Yes, I often go there when I need to clear my head.”

“Follow me.”

Committee Member Kser opened a side door. It was a different door from the one Rodin had entered.

‘Damn.’

When the door opened, stairs leading outside appeared. It was a way to get out to the first floor without going through the administrative office.

‘If this path existed, they should have summoned me here from the start.’

Feeling irritated by the unnecessarily complicated procedure, he forced himself to calm down and regulate his breathing so it wouldn’t show.

Committee Member Kser walked towards the lake. Rodin followed behind, feeling frustrated by the slow pace.

The place where Rodin usually sat and rested came into view from afar.

The familiar scenery of the rock, trees, and frozen lake appeared.

Committee Member Kser reached near the lake and turned. He walked counterclockwise around the lake.

After a short walk, they arrived at a small building. It was a single-story building with four assistants standing guard at the entrance.

“Ah, here.”

Rodin had seen this building while going back and forth by the lake. He had been curious for a long time about what it was used for.

‘I never got an answer.’

He had asked the assistants what the building was for, but they only said he wasn’t qualified to know.

After realizing that asking more wouldn’t change anything, he had given up early on.

“Step aside.”

“Yes, sir.”

The assistants stepped aside. Committee Member Kser inserted a key into the closed door. With a click, the lock was released.

“Open it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rodin pushed the door with all his strength. The heavy iron door slowly opened.

Committee Member Kser had Rodin open the heavy door because he didn’t want to do it himself.

Upon pushing it, Rodin realized it was quite heavy. If he hadn’t been exercising consistently since the beginning of his time here, he might not have been able to open it.

“Lant could probably pull out the door and throw it.”

Committee Member Kser entered through the opened door. Rodin followed behind him.

Pop!

Upon entering, there was a magic lamp immediately to the right.

As soon as Committee Member Kser touched it, the light turned on. There were a considerable number of books densely packed on the shelves.

“There are at least 5,000 books.”

Though he didn’t closely examine the titles, he could tell they were books he had never seen before. If they were the same as the ones in the library, there would be no reason to store them separately in such a remote place.

“There’s a research lab below.”

“A research lab?”

“Follow me. I’ll show you.”

When the door on the opposite side was opened, stairs leading down appeared.

Committee Member Kser used a light magic to illuminate the surroundings and cautiously descended the stairs.

Hyung_Otaku2

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