After he left the forest, Ulan made his way toward the dormitory.
This was because he belatedly recalled the fact that there were routine morning attendance checks. However, he never reached his dorm, for an urgent announcement halted his progress.
— Ulan Bator, Dilia Arpen. Both students are requested to report to the Dean's office, 9th floor, Magic Department, Main Building, immediately.
The Dean of the Magic Department, Deflyn.
Upon hearing her name, Ulan could roughly guess the reason for the summons.
'Special benefits.'
During the [Mana Detection] test, Deflyn had promised Ulan special benefits if he successfully retrieved all the cores of the mana golem.
Perhaps she was keeping that promise.
Understanding the situation, Ulan immediately changed his destination. However, upon arriving at the main building, a new problem awaited him.
"No, you can't go in."
Out of nowhere, someone blocked Ulan's path.
They were the guards responsible for protecting the main building of the Magic Department, and their reason for denying Ulan entry was simple enough.
"This is the Ivory Tower of the mages."
"We can't let you in dressed like that."
"If you want to enter, come back properly dressed."
The issue lay in Ulan's attire.
The guards' words left him in a quandary. When he had left the grasslands, he hadn't brought any additional clothes.
As he pondered what to do, a familiar voice rang in his ear.
"Ulan?"
Silver hair cascading down her back; round, golden eyes. It was Dilia Arpen, a girl as beautiful as a sculpted doll. She had also come in response to Deflyn's call.
Meanwhile, Dlia tilted her head quizzically.
Her expression seemed to ask, "Why are you just standing there?" Reading it at once, Ulan gave an honest reply.
"They won't let me in dressed like this."
"Ah."
Dilia nodded as if she understood. She then approached the guards and spoke in her characteristic curt tone.
"I have an appointment with Deflyn."
"No matter the appointment..."
"We can't let you in here dressed like that."
The guards frowned.
Then, one of the guards widened his eyes as if he had realized something belatedly.
"Wait, Deflyn?"
It was a familiar name. That was only natural, considering that Deflyn Chernihiv was the name of the owner and head of this Magic Department building.
After a while, the three who had been in a stiff conversation cautiously asked, "Are you Ulan and Dilia?"
"That's right."
"Yes."
Ulan and Dilia nodded. Meanwhile, they glanced at the clock. It was an indirect pressure that they might be late for their appointment.
And it worked.
"Fine, there's no help for it."
"We'll give you special access, just this once."
"Just put this on quickly, and next time, come properly dressed."
It was impossible to deny access to a student who had been summoned by the Dean herself. Reluctantly, the guards allowed their entry.
Along with a thin leather cloak, presumably to cover his naked upper body. Accepting, Ulan went straight into the main building.
The two then stepped into a magic-powered elevator. As the elevator slowly ascended toward the 9th floor, Dilia suddenly spoke up.
"Why aren't you wearing clothes?"
"Because it's uncomfortable."
The reason Ulan didn't wear clothes was that he wasn't used to the sensation of leather or fabric brushing against his skin. He also disliked the tightness around his arms, chest, and shoulders. But if he took them off, it solved all his problems. So, he went around without clothes.
"Aren't you cold?"
"I don't usually get cold."
His body was so robust as if blessed, and once he became accustomed to the activation of the [Spirit], he could handle most cold and heat reasonably well.
Meanwhile, after Ulan had finished answering, Dilia's sparkling eyes scanned Ulan's body. It was a look of wonder, as if she had discovered a creature she had never seen before.
[We have arrived at the 9th floor.]
[The door will open shortly.]
The elevator had finally reached its destination. As the doors opened, a refreshing corridor stretched before their eyes. The Dean's office was at the far end of the eastern side, so the two briskly walked toward it.
And then.
Dilia spoke again.
"Your shoulder, is it okay?"
Why would she suddenly ask about his shoulder?
Perplexed, Ulan looked at her, and Dilia recalled the events from yesterday.
"You were hit by the golem, remember?"
"I did? When?"
"Yesterday, while protecting me."
Did that happen? Ulan scratched his head.
He remembered punching the golem, but he had no recollection of being hit in return.
Sure, there had been some physical contact with the golem in the process of wrapping Dilia. But he wouldn't describe it as being 'hit'.
'No blood, no broken bones.'
According to Ulan's standard, being hit would involve torn skin and shattered bones. Anything less was just a graze.
Therefore, the golem was only briefly grazed, but not hit.
So, what exactly did he get hit by?
Ulan looked at her with a puzzled expression, and Dlia seemed equally perplexed.
"What? Why are you acting like you don't know?
Ulan was undoubtedly hit by a golem.
It was loud enough to make a thumping sound.
Furthermore, it happened just yesterday, so why was he acting like he didn't know? It's like he was trying to pretend it never happened.
In that moment of thought, a conjecture flashed in his mind.
'Ah! Could it be…'
Is he trying to be considerate, trying to spare her feelings?
To prevent her from feeling responsible for getting hurt, he might be treating yesterday's incident as if it never happened.
No, this was the most plausible hypothesis. Otherwise, there was no way he would show this kind of attitude.
'I was so oblivious.'
There's more to him than meets the eye.
With that thought, she closed the topic lightly and decided to accept Ulan's consideration with gratitude.
Meanwhile, as Dilia remained silent, Ulan also didn't think much of it. He assumed she had mistaken him for someone else.
While they walked silently through the corridor, Ulan initiated the conversation this time.
"Dlia."
"Uh, huh?"
"Do you have any idea about the special benefits Dean Deflyn was talking about?"
As soon as Deflyn's name was mentioned, her expression froze.
"I don't know. But... well..."
"But?"
"...she's scheming something."
This was Deflyn they were talking about.
No matter how many special benefits she promised, Dilia didn't believe she would simply hand them over. There must be some ulterior motive behind it.
Dilia was convinced of this.
A short time later, the two arrived in front of the Dean's office, and something caught their attention.
A note attached to the door, written by Deflyn.
It asked them to enter one by one.
"Go ahead, I'll wait."
"Okay."
The order didn't matter much.
So, Ulan gave up his turn.
Around ten minutes later, as he waited, he heard Deflyn's voice from inside.
"Come in, Ulan."
It seemed like Dilia and Deflyn had finished talking.
Ulan immediately entered the room. However, strangely enough, he didn't see Dilia inside.
"Where's Dilia?"
"She already left."
Deflyn replied with a cheery smile.
She pointed to the separate elevator installed in the corner of her office. Most likely, Dilia used it to go down.
"First of all, congratulations on being the top-seat."
"Thank you."
"I won't bore you with a long story, so let's just cut to the chase. The reason I called you here is to fulfill the special benefits I promised you."
Ulan's guess was right.
He waited patiently for Deflyn to speak, and it wasn't long before she did.
"I'm going to grant you a wish."
"A wish?"
"Yes, of course, it has to be something possible. You only get one wish, and there's no option to postpone it."
She meant to say it here and now.
Ulan stared at Deflyn without saying a word.
'A wish, huh?'
To wish for something was to have it.
The real reason Ulan had enrolled in the Arsene Academy.
A clue to reaching the realm of Superhuman and information about the world's most powerful weapon. After all, he had heard that Arsene Academy contained all the knowledge in the world.
'Then there must surely be clues or information stored here that could lead me to the realm of superhuman.'
Ulan believed so.
Thus, just as he was about to speak honestly, he held his tongue. The reason lay in the gaze of Deflyn.
'...There's something scheming in those eyes.'
Through various experiences in his past life, Ulan had developed a keen eye for reading people; and now, Deflyn's eyes were akin to those of an eagle, a hunter's gaze sizing up its prey.
As he quietly observed her, the words of Dilia came to his mind.
Dilia had mentioned that Deflyn had some sort of ulterior motive. With that, Ulan reached a conclusion.
'It's better not to reveal anything about the realm of superhuman.'
Let's keep the superhuman realm stuff to himself.
Let's speak of another wish instead.
As he began to ponder, Deflyn suddenly spoke up.
"There's no need to overthink it."
Her voice was soft and smooth, like dripping honey, and it gently caressed Ulan's ears.
"All you have to do is say what you most desire. If it's something within my power to grant, I will do so right away."
"...."
If it were the Ulan from before his regression, he might have wavered under her influence. There was something alluring about her sweet and enchanting voice.
However, the current Ulan was not swayed.
He listened to Deflyn's words with one ear and continued to ponder without hesitation. Finally, he made a decision.
"I have lived all this time dressed like this."
"Yes?"
"As a result, I find it difficult to adapt to wearing clothes. So, I would appreciate it if you allow me to freely roam in this attire."
He recalled the incident when the guards denied him entry earlier due to his appearance.
Deflyn looked somewhat taken aback by his request."Uh, is that your wish?
"Yes."
"You don't desire anything else?"
"No, I don't."
It was a firm and unwavering answer.
Deflyn furrowed her brows.
"Don't answer so bluntly. Think a little more. Isn't there something you desire, like a way to accumulate mana faster, or a rare spellbook, for example?"
"I am content with this wish."
If he wanted a way to accumulate mana faster, he already knew one—swallowing the core of a demonic beast. As for spellbooks, Ulan had no need for them.
"Is it an impossible wish?"
"No, no, that much is possible."
Deflyn shook her head.
"But are you really content with this? Seriously? Opportunities like this don't come by easily, you know?"
"That will be enough."
"Sigh, all right. Then I will inform the guards right away that you are free to roam in your current attire."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Ulan bowed his head slightly.
Deflyn, on the other hand, let out a sigh.
It seemed that the plans she had been preparing were not working out as expected.
* * * * * * * * * *
Thud!
The sound of the door closing echoed as Ulan left the Dean's office.
The sensation of his presence gradually faded away. Once it completely disappeared, Deflyn slumped over her desk.
"Ugh, he didn't fall for it."
Deflyn, with her plump face, pouted her lips.
Her original plan had been like this — first, to find out what Ulan desired using his wish as an excuse. It could be anything, whether it was an object, a person, or knowledge. And then, a step ahead, she would obtain it and use it as bait to enlist his assistance in various research endeavors.
"But it seems like he's on guard."
She never thought he'd wish that.
Deflyn frowned.
That wasn't all.
Unlike when she saw him in the examination hall yesterday, today's Ulan didn't emit even the slightest trace of mana. Even the two mana vessels that resided in his small intestine had vanished without a trace.
"He must have hid them on purpose."
There was only one reason for it.
He was wary of Deflyn. It might seem like she incurred a loss just by making him more cautious, but the consequences were not that simple.
Now that she realized Ulan was hiding not just the mana vessels but more than that.
'He's hiding his real skills.'
To deceive the eyes of the Archmage Deflyn to the extent of erasing any trace of mana, and even hiding the mana vessels, required an extraordinary level of skill. Unless he had personally destroyed the mana vessels, it was the only explanation.
'And the fact that the mana measurement test showed exactly 100 mana, I'm sure that was intentional.'
100 mana was the minimum requirement to be called a mage. It would be impossible to manipulate those numbers to fit the number 100 without intent.
'To summarize....'
Ulan eyed Deflyn warily.
And he was so good at magic that he was able to conceal the mana vessels.
Lastly, for some unknown reason, he was deliberately hiding his true abilities, as evidenced by the precise 100 mana measurement.
That's how she could summarize it.
"The more I see, the more interesting he becomes."
The corners of her mouth twitched up in a smile.
In her heart, she wanted to take him to her research lab right away and learn everything about him—from head to toe.
But she couldn't.
"There are too many prying eyes on him at the moment."
By now, Ulan had become a conspicuous presence.
He was the top scorer of the entrance exam.
Moreover, two professors from the Military Studies Department were coveting him, and even Berge, someone who could be called Arsene's heir, was keeping an eye on Ulan.
In a situation like this, Deflyn knew that rash behavior would do more harm than good.
"Well, it should be okay for now."
So she decided to take it easy.
Ulan was just a freshman.
There were still four years until graduation. Within that time, she believed there would be a way to take him to her research lab.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Deflyn's eyes flickered like candle flames. They held the curiosity and zeal of a mage consumed by research.