The Most Powerful Wizard's Scheme of Seclusion

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About two months after the competency test at the academy.

This base was named 【Wictor】 for convenience. It had been much improved and was now being transformed into a city - a fortress. It was noisy for the early morning of such 【Wictor】 inside a pseudo-protective wall.

Ars and Loki were still in the outside world. The main reason for this was because this place was the most suitable for him to study now.

What Ars is studying is a pseudo-protective wall called 【Second Babel】 that was installed in this base.

It's probably not possible for Ars to leave the base without clearing this.

All preparations are being made.

As the final stage, the research facility built for Ars was equipped with large monitors, and countless divided screens were brought in at every end. The number of those screens alone could be as many as 30.

The researchers projected there, the ones who are called authorities in academia, are being relayed with a tense look on their faces, with Ars in the center.

A very old man, balding at the top of his head, is pleased with his work.

'Lord Ars, I thank you for the honor of doing such an honorable job.

On the other side of the screen, each researcher was nodding with a look of contentment.

These researchers are the chief researchers of at least five [Babel] installed in their countries. The one who directs them on the inside is the old man who just thanked Ars.

And the construction of the most important system is entrusted to Ars. They were in charge of coordinating the details of the construction and circuitry on site based on the materials presented by Ars.

Ars sits in front of a large monitor and returns it without a care in the world, "It's still too early for that".

Behind him, Loki is silent as if praying for success. But of course, it wasn't just the two of them in this place.

There are dozens of researchers around, and in addition to the [Third Babel] and the thirty-five monitors and other units installed in seven countries here, there is one unit at this base that was installed on a trial basis, a total of thirty-six units, recording and keeping track of the operational status and data of all of them.

As if to review, Ars spoke of the improvements in the general design compared to the conventional 【Second Babel】.

He said, "As expected, the part that could be compensated for with pseudo-magic power could be resolved by setting up a supply source in a separate tank, but we have no choice but to make it an operating energy rather than a protective barrier. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's much more fuel efficient than the old model, though.

'What do you mean? It was a decision that was determined to be practically impossible. I can estimate that it is a decade's worth of development in modern magic at a reasonable price.

The female researcher followed the old man's lead, and also heaped praise on the female researcher.

As for your invention of a permanent firewall, it's a debate that was said to be impossible," she said, "You've made it possible to do something that was once spoon fed to you. The fact that you have made it possible to do what you once spooned into existence is the greatest honor of all for me to be here as a researcher.

Incredibly, we haven't seen any upheaval in the commissioning process already, and on your end...

Another man stroked his trimmed beard on the monitor next to the female researcher. He is in charge of Iberis. Below him are the researchers who tell him what's going on in each of the laboratories he's in charge of.

He told them about our situation while looking at the screen of a man who had cleaned himself up for today.

'Oh, we haven't had any major problems for two months already.

Oh! The exclamations overlap through the screen.

'However. The data we have here is still being adjusted, so we don't have enough data to make an accurate demonstration. Well, we'll have to wait and see how it works.

Al, it's time to...

I think we've talked too long. Loki tells me that the scheduled time is approaching. There was an expression that could be taken as anxiety or anticipation, or simply a blank expression, just a clerical matter.

But you can hear the bouncing of his voice, which cannot be hidden.

'Then let us begin. You know that failure is not an excuse for success. I wish to combine the wisdom of mankind and not be a laughing stock.

Interspersed with a small smile, Ars sharply brought the entire screen into view.

Here, for the first time, the researchers' faces changed. They would either be successes or failures, and if this was a stumbling block, they would have to reassess from scratch. That would take several years.

And the cost of even building one of these is enormous. Even so, the goal of the project was to achieve results that were more than worth the cost.

The majority of the money is poured into this one, the other half of the funds Ars gave to Ilyce.

Everything is ready, and the only thing waiting is the signal Ars gives. However, he doesn't have any feelings about the beginning of the order, and he says it so simply that everyone is disappointed.

'All units operational!'

The words were announced abruptly without a second to spare. However, none of them were late.

The voice of the operation status flew around, and the large monitor projected directly in front of Ars confirmed that everything was working.

Pseudo-magic power was generated and circulated in the power reactor. And the work of deciphering the magic formula by the magic power stored in the protective barrier that cannot be replaced by pseudo-magic power has begun.

In a matter of seconds, all the magic formulae shifted to a standby state and built a protective wall.

The researchers who were checking the situation sequentially let out a loud voice that seemed to leak out to the outside.

''Twenty-two ... thirty ... thirty-five, all protective barriers have been confirmed to be deployed. No delays, no disturbances at all, normal, normal!

Amidst the jubilation, Ars rose from his chair and turned away alone.

Even the congratulations were passed off as if to say that the current Ars had fallen by the wayside. The voice of the old man, the chief researcher, was quietly thrown at his back.

'Are we going?'

"I went to all the trouble of spending months of my life studying it...

He doesn't even look back, but stops. Ars only looked forward, unsure of who he was responding to. And after a beat, he resumed his steps. It was only because he was able to figure out Babel's system that he was able to manufacture [The Third Babel]. However, it wasn't an imitation of the [Tower of Babel], as long as it could be replaced. In fact, anything that could even repel demons would be fine.

That's why these researchers don't know anything about the chalk tower that rises in the center of the survival zone - and even the existence of the vast amount of material on the [Tower of Babel] that was sent to Ars.

In that material, the tower's blueprint and the theory of constructing a protective wall to repel the demons had been elaborately written down. However, the core of the material was not cleverly touched upon. Even if you build it according to this document, you'll only get a token Babel.

Still, without this material, even Ars would not have been able to assemble the system in such a short period of time.

The researcher who noticed us swallowed down a voice that would have made him stop walking and looked away.

''Phase two has been accomplished, hasn't it?

'Yes, but I don't think they're going to take any action.

Loki, who was anxiously voicing his concerns next to him, was ready for battle. Of course, Ars also expected to have AWR at the very least, but he wouldn't actually use it.

'It won't be. I'll make sure that doesn't happen.'

'....Have you gone ahead with the story again without me?

The indifferent and intonationless sound of his voice is proof of the loneliness of not being heard by Loki. Still, he must have gotten quite used to it.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

'Yes, I understand, but Al can't help but forget, can he? It's not because he didn't tell you, because he was good riddance (...)

'Yeah ... of course, of course. Or maybe you just happened to be gone...................but you look quite happy about it.

Is that right?

He must have unconsciously let his bouncing mind get the better of him. Still, Loki didn't weigh in on the petty meanness.

'Well, let's go.'

Yes!