Almark – Northern Sword, Southern Wand

After school the day he finished his internship safely, Almark took Wendy and Morgan to the dean's office.

When I knocked, Ilumis opened the door and invited the three of them in.

The dean greeted the three from behind a large desk with a calm smile as usual.

"Almark, Wendy, and Morgan. It's a busy day. Come here, all three of you."

"Yes"

Starting with Almark, the three of them turn around their desks and stand beside the yaw log.

Looks like it's been tough again.

Yologue smiles and tells Almark.

"I'll let you listen to that story later. Now, let's have a look. Almark, give me your right hand."

"I understand."

Almark gives his right hand to the yolog.

And the yologs gently stacked their hands.

The light shined.

"Ah."

Morgan speaks up.

Wendy took a breath.

There is a black snake in Almark's right hand.

I am stupid to wrap it around my hands.

The snake opened its mouth and stretched out its tongue to threaten it, even though it could not see us.

This is the curse of snakes.

Wendy mutters.

"But there's only one."

Morgan says.

"Yes, there's only one."

The yolog nodded.

"There were four snakes at first, one less, two less, and now there's only one more."

"The monster in the Night Forest was still a trap."

"That's what I'm talking about."

Yologue nodded at Almark's words and let go.

The snake in my right hand also seemed to disappear at the same time.

"To be exact."

Until then, Ilumis, who had been silent, opened her mouth.

"Perhaps the bolapa you fought was a real trap. The monsters I fought with and Professor Fear were dead."

Ilmis gently removes something from the robe while saying so.

"There would have been a dark door that blocked your return."

A place where dark monsters come out with the sound of "py".

Illmis called it the door of darkness.

"That's where the whistle was when the bolaparte appeared."

I didn't actually see it, but Almark said.

Hmm.

Illmis nodded.

"There, this fell."

The three of you peek into it that Ilumis gave you.

"... Thu?

The blackened fragment looked nothing but a piece of wood.

"But it's not just a tree."

Almark looks up at Illmis as he explores.

Ilmis sees Wendy and Morgan without affirmation or denial.

"Do you know who they are?"

Um...

Morgan twisted his neck.

"I don't know. Is it a burning tree?"

No, it's not.

Ilumis shakes his head.

"Wendy, you..."

Wendy, questioned by Illmis, stared at the piece of wood with her big eyes.

"This is..."

After a while, Wendy looks up at Illmis.

Wand, isn't it?

Hmm.

Illmis nodded.

"You got it."

Illmis makes three pieces of wood visible.

"This is Kaidu Kagura. It is a tree that is often used as a material for magicians' wands."

"Wand...."

Almark murmured.

"Exactly, the burning remnants of the wand. He sacrificed a wand to open the doors of two darknesses."

Illmis said so and took out another piece of wood.

"This one fell around where you defeated Volapa."

Almark also noticed that there is still a little bit of darkness left in this piece of wood.

Is this a cane too?

Almark asks.

The material seems to be slightly different from the previous one.

Ilumis did not answer and still looked at Wendy.

"Wendy, answer me."

"Yes"

Wendy tries to crush the pieces of wood handed over by Illmis.

"... is this Suzalimazu?"

"Correct."

Illmis smiles.

"You've learned a lot. Knowledge is power. It can sometimes be more powerful than force or magic."

"Suzari Imaz knows."

Morgan raised his hand.

"It's the same tree used for magician's wands as Caidu Kagura."

"Mmm, that's right."

Illmis nodded.

"Well then, let me ask you some more questions."

Illmis puts two pieces of wood on his desk and looks at three people.

It is as if Illmis' class is being held for the three of them to pose questions.

Yologue is watching the situation with pleasure.

"What is the inference derived from these two pieces of wood?"

Reasoning, huh?

Wendy looks at two pieces of wood and the face of Ilmis in alternation, confused.

Morgan sees a piece of wood with a blurry face as if he abandoned thinking early on as a problem beyond his control.

"Almark"

Illmis saw Almark's face.

Something's coming to mind.

"Perfect guesswork, okay?"

Almark nods in haughtiness.

"I don't mind. Answer freely."

"Yes"

Almark nodded.

Then I first took the piece of wood that Ilmis had taken out.

"This is a caid whale. This is a tree that grows in the woods of the academy."

Almark says.

"And this Suzalimazu."

That's it, now I'm going to lift another piece of wood.

"It is not grown in this forest. It's a tree growing further north."

Hmm.

Illmis nodded, prompting Almark to continue.

So?

I mean, yes.

That's what Almark coughs up.

"Suzalimazu's wand, like the tools of the dark trap, was brought in from the outside. But I thought maybe it was the Kaidu Kagura wand."

"Ah."

Morgan speaks up and speaks first about what Almark is trying to say.

"Made in this academy."

"If you want to teach me how to make a cane, I'll start in middle school."

Wendy speaks up too.

Interesting reasoning.

Illmis said so and saw the three of them.

"It doesn't come out of the realm of reasoning, but it also seems to see direction."

"Doctor, after all, in middle school."

"Don't jump to conclusions."

Illmis interrupted Wendy by saying so.

"Almark, the last remaining snake on your right."

Illmis pointed to Almark's right hand while holding the wooden piece.

"The Last Dark Trap. Let's add another piece of reasoning to it. Do you know what I'm going to say?"

Illmis enumerates the words one by one to remind Almark of them.

"Money. Books."

Illmis looks like he's trying Almark.

"Ring. Wand."

"If you say so, you'll see."

Almark nodded.

"It was used to mediate a dark trap. Money wasn't a good trap yet."

Bronze and silver coins that were transformed into dark magicians.

A library book that pulls out the souls of Almark and Ain.

The ring was bound with a huge shadow that appeared in the cave of the fountain.

And this time I summoned the bolapa, the wand.

Hmm.

Illmis nodded and asked more.

"So, what do these things represent?"

"Eh, a symbol?"

When Almark looked like he had been struck by falsehood, Illmis broke his fingers and counted them one by one.

"Money is a symbol of wealth. Books are a symbol of knowledge. The ring symbolizes a noble identity. The cane."

It's a symbol of magic

Wendy answers.

I see. So, finally, what comes next? Almark "

Almark was unexpectedly stared straight at by Illmis, stiffening his body.

Next to that, Yologue looked at Almark's face with interest.

Wealth.

Knowledge.

A noble identity.

Magic.

Okay, finally.

"Finally....."

As you think about it, you mutter.

I remember the words of Ilumis earlier.

Knowledge is power. It can sometimes be more powerful than force or magic.

It's power.

Almark noticed.

Wealth, knowledge, identity and magic are all different shapes, but they all show power.

Force.

Other forces.

Almark felt surprisingly cool on his back.

Absence of what was supposed to be there.

He was always protecting Almark's back, buddy.

Sword, huh?

Almark said.

I felt like I fell into my chest.

"The last trap."

Say so and see Ilmis.

"Sword. That could be force."