Lich reborn as a magic school student - 23: Questioning
—————————————————[Kashra’s Pov]
Archibald led me deep beneath the school, finally reaching an old wooden room with a circular shape. Instead of being surrounded by walls there were bookshelves sealing the room, and various magical gems floated around. At the center was a massive magical sphere enclosed by a wooden table, and around the table were nine seats, sitting already were the seven specialist teachers.
Archibald led me to sit at one of the vacant seats, and then he went to the opposite side and took his own seat. I observed the teachers around. First to my left was Maximilian Khan, short brown hair and a thick beard, wearing a simple black t-shirt, his black eyes observing me, and a stern and cautious expression adorning his face. To his side is Dariush Tavaria, a young appearance, yet boasting grey hair. He is wearing a simple black robe, and at the tips of his fingers slight sparks continually flicker. From his mana, I can tell he’s on edge.
Third to the left is Alessa Redinger, in a white and red robe. She has a calm atmosphere as she quietly observes me. In the center is the now arrived Archibald. He has a troubled expression, as if pondering how to start. Further right from him is Sulaiman Al-Bajjani, in complicated black and white robes with gold adornments in a style reminiscent of the desert empires of Vokharn. He looks at me with curiosity. Next in a completely black robe is Zakaria Keramati. The pale face peeking from his large robes is almost skeletal, and seaming incredibly sleep deprived, yet his expression is steadfast.
Then the closest to me on the right is Hlöðmundur Henrysson, in a simple white t-shirt, and on his hip is a standard sword. Blonde hair and blue eyes looking at me as if an insect. He is the first to speak. “You don’t seem strong.”
“I have spells that help with blindness.”
He grabs onto his sword but is stopped by Archibald’s voice. “Hlöðmundur, this is not the time for this!”
Archibald looks back at me and asks, “Kashra, we would like to confirm some facts with you regarding the truth of Atraharsis’ magic. Would that be fine with you?”
“Go ahead.”
“Your rebirth in this world. When exactly did it happen?”
“Last Friday.”
“Are you evil?”
“I am.” With those words, the atmosphere in the room becomes cold, but Archibald continues, “Why do you consider yourself evil?”
“Because I have killed billions for selfish goals.”
With my words, a slight pause occurs, and the expressions on all the teachers excluding Hlöðmundur becomes worse.
“Do you plan to kill billions in this world?”
“I do not plan to.” The tense atmosphere slightly eases, but Archibald continues, “Why did you kill billions in your old world?”
“The last command of my king was to resurrect Vutia, and a spell capable of turning an ashen wasteland back to a kingdom requires a massive amount of sacrifices.”
“You did not believe yourself in the wrong?”
“I acknowledge my actions as being in the wrong, but I am selfish by nature. To live in a land of peace and prosperity. I will sacrifice others.”
“My last question is, what exactly do you hope to do in the future?”
“In the short term, I wish to investigate the abnormalities of this world, and setup a base of power, and in the long term I wish to defend this world from other worldly invasions.”
“Other worldly invasions, what exactly do you mean?”
“The manifestation of magic in this world, I’ve already observed to have been caused by a phenomenon which I believe is the ‘Demon World Manifestation’ where in a demon lord manifests a part of the demon world into this world, so that they may invade this world.”
“Well, that is all of my questions, but the others may have more.” Archibald finishes.
Sulaiman is the first to inquire, “That so called ‘Demon World Manifestation’ is concerning. What are the signs that precede such an event? And how do you plan to handle the manifestation if it really occurs?”
“While I am not yet certain that it is in fact a ‘Demon World Manifestation’, all the clues point towards it. The fluctuation of mana in this world, or otherwise said, the appearance of magic is what I found my theory upon. The events that can cause such large mana fluctuations are very few, and the most likely is the ‘Demon World Manifestation’, and for how I plan to handle it. I am planning on developing powerful allies within this world. Even if you are currently weak does not mean you cannot be trained.”
Dariush Tavaria speaks up, “Exactly how strong are you? The paper stated that you used to be an archmage, but is your archmage standard the same as ours.”
“At my death, I was on the cusp of divinity. My necropolis stretched the continent, and my magic defied all limitations. In all history, I am the mage closest to the singularity of magic. How that compares to this world, I would put my old self at around the 12th tier of magic, in my old world to claim the title of archmage you would have to be at least 9th tier, and even then you need to be strong enough to not be killed.“
“Our world’s archmage wouldn’t be considered an archmage?”
“He would not.”
Archibald asks, “What exactly is the so called ‘Singularity of magic’”
“The ‘Singularity of Magic’ or ‘State of Power’ is a theoretical rank of mage titled by an ancient magic civilization that was destroyed by the gods. They knew many magics that were forgotten in the modern eras and had powers completely unimaginable by most. Unfortunately, their overwhelming magical prowess made the gods fear them, and in the end, the gods sent forward many divine beasts to destroy them. This civilization said that the goal of magic is the ‘State of Power’ where in all magic becomes one, and the mage becomes omniscient and omnipotent. I am the mage closest to this so called Singularity.”
Hlöðmundur, while drawing his sword, says, “Yeah, this is enough. Get up. I don’t believe any of this nonsense. I’ll test your strength myself.”
—————————————————[Author’s Note]
Unfortunately, I’ll be going to mandatory military service next Monday, and while there I’ll have less time to write chapters. I’ll try to get chapters out when I have free time, but I can’t really promise anything.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I’m hoping to hear where you guys would like me to focus this story towards, since while I have a general outline on the events of the future, I’d also like to hear what you guys think I should focus on.