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The hair loss agent prepared for the plan was in liquid form, and although its effect wasn't very strong, it vaporized quickly.
It had to be something that could serve as a justification for canceling the festival, but at the same time, it couldn't cause too much damage. Therefore, I chose one with a weak effect, making it easier to manage.
If it were widely dispersed in the air, it would naturally disappear with the wind in two days, but…
Since it was concentrated inside the building, the weak effect didn't matter.
"Ugh, my vision…"
"Miss Chloe. As you know, there are a few precautions I need to remind you of. First, fire magic is prohibited."
"Because of the risk of explosion?"
"That too, but as you know, magic barriers don't completely block the air, do they?"
For now, we were holding on by blocking the doors and windows with magic, but…
What if she used fire magic in here and vaporized the hair loss agent that was still in liquid form or floating in the air? And what if it leaked outside the building because of that?
A quick resolution would be impossible.
"If possible, please use impact or cutting magic. And you shouldn't damage the lab walls because of the risk of secondary collapse."
"Uh…"
"Lastly, please tell me before using magic. Magic students like Miss Chloe can sense the precursors to magic and hide, but I'm a Rank 1, so…"
"I-I'll keep that in mind."
What?
Aren't you a Rank 5 mage? Why don't you know this?
When I looked at Chloe with a questioning gaze, she laughed awkwardly.
"Actually, this is my first experience like this… It's reassuring to have the Finance Director here."
"…Ah."
That's right. Ordinary students don't enter collapsing buildings to assess the damage or calculate the cost, do they?
I had become too used to it since I entered these collapsed buildings so often.
Even if she was an original companion, the disciple of the Archmage, or whatever, she was still just a student.
"Do you have a lot of experience with this, Finance Director?"
"I suppose so. I usually go in with the Exam Supervisor or the Security Unit, so this is my first time entering with a student."
"Y-your first time?"
"That's… Miss Chloe?"
"Yes!?"
"Why are you fidgeting like that?"
"It's not my intention…!! Ah, no. I'm sorry. I won't do it again…"
"This is the building where the explosion and leak occurred. Don't let your guard down."
I wasn't in danger since I was with Chloe, a Rank 5 mage, the Headmistress was outside, and the professors and the Dean had cast multiple layers of defensive magic on me, but…
Still, if there was another collapse here, the repair costs would increase. I stressed this to Chloe and entered the hazy hallway of the lab filled with the hair loss agent.
"Cough, cough. It's hard to breathe."
"It seems like the amount is quite significant."
It was to the point where it was impossible to see? The medicine must have been green, as there was green vapor everywhere.
But there was no problem.
Slide
"F-Finance Director!? What are you doing…?"
"Miss Chloe, get into a crawling position as well. We'll proceed like this."
Ah, this was the 'crawling position.' A posture to avoid toxic gas in a fire.
Although the hair loss agent vapor wasn't toxic to life, it was indeed harmful to hair and made it difficult to breathe.
There was a purification spell, but it would be pointless to purify the vapor in front of us since it would immediately be filled again. In the first place, purification magic was the epitome of inefficient magic.
Still, thanks to the protective magic I was covered in, it seemed like I wouldn't scrape my elbows.
"Didn't you learn this in the academy theory classes? Hurry up and do it."
"Yes…"
More importantly, this wasn't just my knowledge. Naturally, even in this world, it was common sense to lower your body during a fire.
However, the current situation was quite unusual… and the posture was a bit unsightly. It didn't help that Chloe was still a sensitive young girl and was wearing a skirt.
Crawl. Crawl.
As we crawled forward, there was no room for conversation, and we just focused on moving our limbs.
I looked back from time to time to check if she was following properly, but there was nothing other than Chloe making a "is this right?" expression.
Anyway, after opening several doors and passing through several intersections…
"The entrance to the underground lab is over there… It's already quite serious."
"Oh my."
Although I could see the entrance to the underground lab from the blueprints I had memorized, green vapor was billowing from the open basement door.
Every time I opened a door on the way here, vapor gushed out as if exploding, so it was all coming from there.
With this much vapor, it didn't matter if we crawled or walked upright. I gestured to Chloe, who seemed speechless.
"Miss Chloe, let's go in."
"Finance Director? Look at that vapor! That's all hair loss agent! It's so thick that we can't even see in front of us…!!"
"We came here to go inside. The entire above-ground lab, not just the basement, is filled with vapor, didn't you already guess that?"
"That's true, but… still…"
It was indeed a daunting sight. It was even more so because it meant entering the hair loss agent vapor, despite the purification magic and protective magic.
That's why I didn't get annoyed with Chloe for hesitating.
In the first place, Chloe was just a student. It was impressive that she volunteered to come this far, even though she wasn't a professor or a faculty member.
Wasn't this something salaried workers should be doing?
"Miss Chloe, you can just wait here."
"What…?"
"I'll go into the underground lab first and assess the situation. If I think I need your help, I'll call you then. How about that?"
"...."
Thinking about it again, it was a shame that there wasn't a single bald professor. There were quite a few bald professors in the magic department, but it couldn't be helped since only a small number of professors who were near the lab when it exploded gathered here.
Anyway, the ones I should be annoyed with were the professors who were avoiding the situation outside. I should use this incident as an excuse to increase the salary reduction for the magic department professors.
Although I didn't have any noble sense of duty or responsibility as a faculty member, I did have basic work ethics.
No matter how strong she was, Chloe was ultimately a student, and I was the Finance Director.
It was our job to manage, operate, protect the academy, and resolve problems, not the students' job.
I wasn't special. It was common sense that any faculty member should have.
Of course, if I said this directly, Chloe, with her personality, would probably protest and insist on following me, so…
"Wouldn't it be inefficient for both of us to go in? I'll go in first, assess the situation, and resolve it if possible. I can call you, Miss Chloe, if I need a mage."
"…Finance Director."
"Then please wait here."
I made up a reasonable excuse and explanation. Although something could happen to me while Chloe wasn't there, with the Headmistress outside, that wouldn't happen.
I checked the communication magic tool I brought in my pocket and entered the underground lab without delay.
Whoosh!
My vision was obscured by the green vapor. Perhaps because I knew it was a hair loss agent, I was more concerned about my hair than the difficulty in breathing.
However, the compensation and penalty were scarier than my hair.
…I checked my hair from time to time just in case, but nothing fell out. Magic was truly a god and invincible.
As I made my way down the stairs, where I couldn't see an inch ahead, recalling the floor plan of the underground lab in my mind…
The cause of this incident was immediately apparent.
'There it is.'
A complex-looking magic tool was completely destroyed, as if it had exploded.
I remembered it because I personally approved the funding for Circe's research. It was a component analyzer or something.
Did something happen while she was analyzing the components of the hair loss agent inside this? Broken debris was scattered all over the underground lab.
That's why I was even more curious.
'Why did it explode?'
Hair loss agent component analysis? That was originally part of the hair loss cure development research. This plan simply involved ordering a large amount of the hair loss agent that was already being used in the original research.
Although she hadn't fully recovered from her rank demotion, Circe was still a genius and a veteran mage. It was hard to believe that she made a mistake while operating this device.
'Was she distracted during the research?'
Even though she was a bitch who exploited the academy with the custom, she was still a researcher and a professor. She should know that she shouldn't be distracted while operating this kind of magic tool, so why?
It wasn't like someone forcibly inserted distracting thoughts into her mind, so why?
There was no point in agonizing over it here. I approached the shadow collapsed near the exploded component analyzer.
Naturally, it was Professor Circe.
'Is she unconscious?'
Slap!
'She is.'
She didn't wake up even after I slapped her a bit hard, with some personal feelings mixed in. Since it hadn't even been five minutes since the accident, it seemed like she was truly unconscious from the impact of the explosion.
Knowing Circe's personality, if she had intentionally caused the explosion, she wouldn't have fainted. Was this really a mistake?
As I helped Circe up, a clump of her hair fell out… It seemed like it was indeed a mistake. Hmm.
But the component analyzer was the problem.
'Judging by its size, it seems like all that hair loss agent was inside.'
Due to the heat from the explosion and probably some magical reaction I didn't know about, the hair loss agent inside was continuously vaporizing.
Naturally, it wasn't something I could handle alone as a Rank 1, so…
'I should call Chloe down.'
Didn't I say earlier that this was something the faculty should do? I already did my best.
I came down here myself and proved that I was fine even in the hair loss agent vapor with defensive magic, rescued Circe, and identified the cause of the incident.
All that was left was to address the cause, and that was something I, a mere Rank 1, couldn't do, faculty member or not.
Just as I came to that conclusion and was about to call Chloe without hesitation…
"…Adam."
"Miss Chloe, did you follow me?"
"…Yes."
Chloe appeared at the perfect time, emerging from the green vapor. For some reason, she seemed to be glaring at Circe, whom I was supporting.
It seemed like her atmosphere and tone had changed a bit compared to earlier. Didn't she just call me Adam, not Finance Director?
Anyway, resolving this was more important than asking about such things, so I immediately pointed at the component analyzer.
"I'll leave that to you."
"…Leave it to me."
[Chain Binding]
Oh, Chain Binding. I knew that magic.
I could only choose one between Beatrice and Chloe as a companion, and after much deliberation, I asked the strategy guide community, and they all told me to choose Chloe. So I chose Beatrice.
Of course, I thought it was a lie to trick a newbie. But looking back, there were many recommendations to recruit Chloe as a companion because of that [Chain Binding].
So it was probably magic that summoned chains from the ground to bind the target, but…
Why was she binding the entire component analyzer instead of just the leaking part—
Clank.
"Huh?"
Clank clank clank clank!!
What?
Wasn't this magic supposed to summon only five or six chains? Why were dozens of chains forming a net and completely covering the component analyzer?
Moreover, it even 'bound' the vapor, which originally had no form. Didn't you have to be Rank 7 to interfere with concepts using magic?
"Miss Chloe?"
"…Yes?"
"N-never mind."
Well, it was good that things were good. More importantly, I only saw magic in books, and Chloe herself, a mage, would know better, wouldn't she?
Besides, it was absurd for Chloe to be Rank 7. Was she really Rank 7 and hiding her power as a Rank 5? With Chloe's personality, she would have already turned the Imperial Magic Tower upside down without needing to come to Grandis Academy.
Perhaps she used a specially reinforced spell or a scroll from her master, the Archmage.
Whatever the process, we blocked the cause and rescued Circe.
It was all resolved… but…
"Now these vapors are the problem."
"Should we get rid of them with purification magic…?"
"The professors are constructing a barrier outside because it's impossible to purify all this with purification magic."
This was because purification magic itself was extremely inefficient. To purify all the vapor filling this large research building, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we needed an Archmage. It wasn't a matter of the mage's skill or rank, but of mana capacity.
And why bother purifying it?
"We've rescued Professor Circe and identified and addressed the cause, so it's time to use a convenient method."
"A convenient method?"
"Let's use the Headmistress here."
Click.
I immediately took out the communication magic tool. All I had to do was call the Headmistress and say "do it."
The Headmistress's Aura could not only blow away the vapor, but also completely erase it.
Since we confirmed that it was okay to blow it away, all I had to do was say a word—
"No."
"…Miss Chloe?"
"There's no need to contact her… yet."
Chloe, who grabbed my wrist as I was about to contact the Headmistress…
Glared at the magic tool with cold eyes and then took a deep breath.
"Leave it to me… please."
"What?"
Even if she wasn't really Rank 7, it was impossible for Chloe to purify all the hair loss agent in this building.
It would be better to call the church at this point, so why…
[Purification]
"…Huh?"
[Purification][Purification][Purification]
[Purification][Purification][Purification][Purification][Purification]
Whoosh!!
A bright light surged from Chloe. It wasn't just once, but a wave of light formed by dozens of [Purification] spells.
Even I, who wasn't a mage, knew that purification magic was the epitome of inefficiency.
It was a spell that mages learned along with [Illumination] magic, but didn't actually use much.
But to use it this many times?
'She wouldn't be able to purify even half of this even if she used all her mana, would she?'
As if mocking my thoughts…
Mana overflowed from Chloe's body, a level that even I, a Rank 1, could sense.
Even after using dozens of purification spells, she still had enough to use dozens more.
It was an amount of mana that was unbelievable for a Rank 5 mage.
[Purification]
"Huff… huff…"
"Wow."
How many minutes had passed? It had only been five minutes, and the hair loss agent vapor that filled the basement had long since been purified and disappeared.
Only Chloe, who looked exhausted, me, and Circe, whose hair was still falling out, remained.
Even the [Chain Binding] she used on the component analyzer at the beginning was still in place.
"Miss Chloe, what in the world…?"
"...."
Are you really Rank 5? You're not actually Rank 7 and hiding your power, are you?
And if you could do this, wasn't it unnecessary to even enter the lab?
'…Oh right. We had to seal the component analyzer.'
Otherwise, it would have kept spewing out vapor no matter how much Chloe purified it.
Anyway, Chloe was clearly much stronger than she was in
'Well, it's a bit late to realize that now.'
It was a bit absurd considering that the protagonist wasn't a perpetual last-place student, but entered the academy as a Rank 6.
If the protagonist was Rank 6, it made sense that Chloe could be stronger than before.
Anyway, just as I was about to approach Chloe, who had accomplished such a feat…
"…Help."
"What?"
"More helpful… than the Headmistress… right?"
Why is the Headmistress suddenly being mentioned here?
Well, whatever.
"Of course. As expected of Miss Chloe!"
"…So…"
"Miss Chloe?"
"Rely on me… from now on."
"…Miss Chloe."
Oh my.
So a skilled individual who could be Rank 6 or 7, beyond Rank 5, was offering her services as a workforce?
If I asked her to do it for free, she might retract her offer, so let's stay quiet.
'By the way…'
Magic is amazing.
Even though I thought I was used to it, every time I saw this kind of scene, I couldn't help but sigh at my lack of talent.
It would have been much better if I were Rank 3, or even Rank 2.
Considering that I was being helped by Chloe and Beatrice despite being an adult… I felt a bit pathetic.
Being Rank 1 in
'Do I need power after all?'
Should I really find the Dark Sword? The strategy guide community said it was top-tier in terms of performance.
First, I supported Chloe, who seemed about to collapse. It seemed like she was on the verge of fainting, perhaps because of the dozens of [Purification] spells she cast earlier.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Chloe."
"…Adam."
No, I mean…
Why are you calling me by my name…?