The Academic Conference.
Held twice a year, this three-day, two-night event brought together scholars, researchers, and professionals.
The first day focused on presentations of new research findings. Most found it dull, except for the dedicated academics and researchers.
The second day was the highlight for many. It featured presentations of newly developed spells in the form of a thesis.
The third day shifted to alchemy and alchemical engineering. This day drew the interest of businesses, investors, and merchants.
Astrid, however, was committed to attending the entire event.
She especially valued the first day, even though it lasted only six hours. To her, it was just as important as the others.
The research presented often included advancements in medicine and studies in the medical field, which would undergo verification.
Astrid cared deeply about medicine. As the third in line for the throne, her chances of ruling were slim. But in the first place, she wasn’t particularly keen on participating in the battle for succession.
Instead, she dreamed of establishing her own hospital and becoming a doctor one day.
She arrived at the auditorium, scanning the room filled with people in robes.
Many were renowned scholars she’d only seen in magazines—some burly older men, others handsome, mostly individuals in their mid-thirties.
Finding an empty seat near the middle, Astrid sat down and waited for the event to begin.
Here, her status as a princess didn’t matter. The attendees were mages and scholars who cared little for politics, focusing instead on the art and complexities of magic.
It was a great change of pace.
——Did you hear? Professor Edens’s paper on Coalescent Theory is finally being published.
——About time. She’s been working on that for a decade.
——Who cares about that? Did you see the schedule for tomorrow?
Astrid leaned back. For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine a future where she was one of them.
Not a princess, but a scholar in the medical field, a doctor attending to patients and conducting research.
Flick—
All of a sudden, the lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the room. The event was about to begin.
Astrid’s thoughts drifted to Professor Vanitas. He had told her he wouldn’t attend until the third day, as he had other matters to handle.
“….”
Her eye twitched.
If Professor Vanitas had seen what Abyss had shown during that strange, dream-like sequence….
‘Ugh….’
He probably didn’t, right?
He acted completely normal after breaking free from his own spirit trial.
Right. He probably didn’t see it.
Astrid shook her head, trying to push the thought away. It would have been way too awkward if he had seen what Abyss had done while taking his form.
“I wonder what he’s up to, though.”
***
Given what had happened, finding any leads on Vanessa’s whereabouts was proving difficult.
But every city, no matter how grand it seemed, had a darker side. Estelle was no exception.
Vanitas pulled up his hood, hiding his face as he made his way to the underworld section of the city. This part of Estelle was home to mages who ran seemingly legitimate businesses that, of course, masked illegal dealings.
Of course, he had been here before.
Not as Vanitas, though.
He wandered through the apothecary district, entering six shops without finding anything unusual. It was slow work, and it would take time to uncover anything worthwhile.
Given Zelliel’s background as a doctor, Vanessa might have ties to recovery spells or medical magic.
It was a far–fetched theory, but with no leads to follow, the apothecary district was his best chance.
Finally, he stepped into the seventh shop of the day. Glancing around, his eyes settled on the pharmacist behind the counter, who was sizing him up.
“Looking for something specific?” the pharmacist asked.
Vanitas cleared his throat. “Anything about Mana Core Degeneration Syndrome?”
The pharmacist’s brows raised. “That’s rare. Unfortunately, I don’t. Stuff like that’s hard to figure out.”
“Let me rephrase my question,” Vanitas said, flipping a coin across the table. It spun and stabilized, but the man barely glanced at it.
“You’ll need a lot more than that,” the man said flatly.
Vanitas sighed and slapped the briefcase he’d been holding onto the counter.
The man’s gaze flicked to the briefcase, then back to Vanitas.
“Alright,” he said. “But take this with a grain of salt. Don’t trust what you’ve read. The symptoms are real, but the causes? They’re made up. There’s no real research behind it.”
“With a grain of salt? I’m paying, you know?”
“It’s how you spend your money, sir.”
“Alright. So, what do you mean?”
The pharmacist hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Had a client once. Trustworthy, considering their line of work. They said it’s not a natural disease. It’s artificial.”
“Artificial?”
This was news to him.
Even after diving into every study and report, this was the first time he’d heard anything that completely shifted what he thought he knew.
If it was artificial, that changed everything. Did the original Vanitas know this?
It was highly possible.
“Who’s responsible for it?”
“No idea,” the pharmacist shrugged. “Not that much to go about, considering it happened years ago. But what I do know is it’s real, I’ve seen the documents presented by my client.”
“And where is this client now?”
“Gone.”
“Gone? Where?”
The pharmacist hesitated for a moment. “That’s beyond my scope.”
“I’ve got the money,” Vanitas said. “You don’t have to worry.”
The pharmacist crossed his arms and sighed.
“Fine,” he said. “I know this person. They wouldn’t just vanish without a trace. Not in the underworld. I’m led to believe they’ve been silenced.”
Vanitas pinched his chin, deep in thought.
“This client…. could it have been Zelliel?”
The pharmacist’s eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. “The Imperial Queen Assassin? What makes you think that?”
“A hunch.”
“A hunch, huh?” the pharmacist scoffed. “Scary guy. But no, it’s not.”
“Then…. is it a woman?”
“….”
The pharmacist froze for a moment, silent. Then, finally, he spoke.
“You…. what do you know?”
“I—”
Cling—
The sound of the door opening interrupted Vanitas mid-sentence. Both of them turned toward the entrance.
A young man stepped in, looking a bit nervous as he glanced around the shop.
“Uh…. sorry to interrupt. I’m just here to buy a medicinal spellformula. Something affordable.”
The pharmacist relaxed and waved him over. “Yeah, sure. Over here.”
Then, he walked to a shelf, picked out a small scroll imbued with a spellformula, and handed it to the customer.
“This one’s good for minor ailments. 30,000 Rend.”
“Thanks,” the customer said, fumbling with his pouch to count out his money. He handed them over, took the scroll, and quickly left the shop.
Cling—
The door closed behind him, and the apothecary fell silent again.
“Now,” the pharmacist said, turning back to Vanitas. “Where were we?”
***
Astrid left the auditorium, feeling her head pound. The presentations had been filled with interesting proposals, but only four focused on the medical field.
While she found them fascinating, she couldn’t bring herself to ask any questions.
The others who did ask spoke in such highly technical terms that her own questions felt insignificant and foolish in comparison.
‘….Scholars are really on another level.’
Back in her hotel room, Astrid took a hot shower, letting the water soothe her headache.
Afterward, she changed into her soft pajamas and approached her bag. From it, she pulled out a bird-shaped stuffed toy and sat on her bed.
She closed her eyes, holding the toy close. Mana began to swirl around her.
Astrid began to chant softly.
“Wings of iron, feathers of steel. By my mana, take shape and feel. Through the skies, sharp and free—Becky!”
Chirp~
Becky, a sleek metal bird, materialized, and perched on Astrid’s delicate fingertips. Smiling, she walked to the window, opened it, and let Becky take flight.
Closing her eyes again, Astrid’s vision shifted. She was now seeing through Becky’s lens.
The city of Estelle spread out below. Becky soared higher, giving her a bird’s-eye view of the entire city.
It was peaceful.
But then….
——Unidentified Flying Object!
Bang!
Something struck Becky mid-flight. The vision blurred and twisted before the connection snapped. Astrid gasped as her sight returned to her own.
“….”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“They must’ve thought Becky was some kind of intruder…. seriously?”
She pouted her lips.
Feeling a pang of hunger, Astrid decided to step out of her room.
——If you’re hungry, just go to the dining area. I’ll cover all the expenses.
——Is that really okay, Professor?
——Don’t worry about it.
Hearing voices, Astrid turned her head to see Professor Vanitas a few rooms ahead, speaking to two people in the hallway.
It was his assistant, Karina, and another woman Astrid didn’t recognize.
To think they were checked in the same hotel as her.
It was just like…. during the magic phenomenon.
Astrid watched the exchange for a moment before deciding not to interrupt. They seemed busy.
She headed down the stairs toward the dining area.
The dining area was set up as a buffet. She took her time selecting her food and found a quiet table to eat.
The meal was satisfying, and as she went back for dessert, she heard familiar voices.
——So it took you under an hour?
——Yes, some kind of minigame, like chess? From what I’ve read, the spirit should be called Cassia…?
Professor Vanitas, Karina, and the woman with glasses had entered the dining area, chatting as they walked to the buffet.
——So you’re good at chess, then, Karina?
——I don’t think I’m too bad at it.
Karina shrugged modestly as they continued their conversation. The other woman, meanwhile, remained silent.
——Go ahead and eat. Again, no need to be shy. I’ll pay for everything.
——….Okay, Professor. Thank you.
——Thank you, Professor.
The two women began browsing the buffet, selecting their food. Professor Vanitas, meanwhile, turned as if to leave, but his gaze caught Astrid’s from across the room.
Astrid raised a hand in an awkward wave. Vanitas nodded in acknowledgment and started walking away.
Thinking quickly, Astrid ran after him and poked his shoulder.
Vanitas turned, looking mildly surprised.
“What is it, Astrid? And to think you’re here too. Quite the coincidence.”
“Uh, yes. Professor, I have an inquiry.”
“What is it?”
“When you entered my consciousness…. You took the form of my sister and brother, right? How did you portray their details to such an extent?”
The question had been bothering Astrid all day.
While her brother and sister were well-known figures, projecting their figure inside her consciousness, down to their features and even the color of their voices required an incredible level of understanding.
Without that, the portrayal would have been distorted or incomplete.
Of course, there was a matter of their tone being altered. But that seemed to have been intentional.
Regardless, if Professor Vanitas wasn’t familiar with them, he wouldn’t be able to project their appearances at all.
He would simply be projected as Vanitas.
“I don’t know. When I entered your consciousness, Abyss projected me like that. In the first place, how would I even mimic Ezra? I’ve only known him for nearly three months.”
“….That makes sense.”
But was that really possible?
She had never heard of such a concept before. Still, if Professor Vanitas said it, she couldn’t easily dismiss it.
“It’s quite late,” Vanitas said. “You should rest. The conference starts early tomorrow.”
Astrid nodded and began walking ahead.
But after a few steps, she stopped and turned around.
“I’m looking forward to Astrea Series Volume Two, Professor.”
“….”
Vanitas blinked, caught off guard.
Before he could respond, Astrid flashed a mischievous smile and hurried up the stairs.
***
Swoosh~
On the balcony, where the cold air greeted him, and the wind brushed against his face, Vanitas reflected on his conversation with the informant.
Vanessa’s disappearance raised too many questions.
Based on what she knew, something must have happened behind the scenes in the following years.
Whether she had stayed hidden, worked in secret, or truly died, no one could say for sure.
Still, given the circumstances, it seemed likely that a third party was involved.
Information about Vanessa was scarce, even in the Spectacle’s Archives.
Initially, she was first declared missing and later presumed dead, killed by Zelliel.
The same went for the Imperial Queen, Julia, whose death was also attributed to Zelliel.
But Vanitas knew that wasn’t the full truth. Abyss had shown him otherwise.
Whether that shitty spirit was playing mind games or trying to deliver a message, the revelations raised more questions.
And since the visions didn’t come from his consciousness, it only made things harder to piece together.
Then there was the matter of Abyss and Chronoa entering his consciousness.
Had they seen glimpses of his past as Chae Eun-woo? Or, given the body he now inhabited, was it Vanitas’s memories they had accessed?
“Haaa….”
Vanitas sighed, running a hand through his hair. His head throbbed from overthinking.
“An artificially created terminal illness, huh?”
Vanessa’s findings during her time as both a chaser and a maid for the Imperial Family hinted at something beneath the surface.
It was all far more complicated than he had initially thought.
“What’s the purpose of this world? This game?”
When his colleague first introduced the game to him, he had shrugged it off.
But one day, out of boredom, he decided to give it a try.
What caught him off guard was the game company’s history.
Marblenet Games.
The company originated from a gaming studio that went bankrupt in 2014.
After the bankruptcy, the developers went their separate ways, but some eventually regrouped to form Marblenet Games.
The game had originally been in development for nearly three decades under their previous company. However, after the IMF crisis, the project was abandoned.
It wasn’t until years later that Marblenet picked it up and brought it back to life.
Vanitas raised his head, taking in the sight of the clear sky.
“Appa, Eomma…. were the two of you involved in this project?”